


Can't Stop Running (Leo Valdez x Reader)

by disjoined_disc



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Actual Story, Angst, Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant - The Trials of Apollo, Not just romance, Post-The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus), Pre-The Trials of Apollo, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 46,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24393757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disjoined_disc/pseuds/disjoined_disc
Summary: You were an orphan with a track record for leaving every home you were put in.Leo Valdez was a Bad Boy Supreme who thought he could save everyone.Any outsider would have agreed that your paths should have never crossed. You should have stayed wandering the streets of New York. Leo should have stayed a hero and taken a well-deserved vacation. But, The Fates work in mysterious, yarn-filled ways.-----Hello! This is my first time publishing a fic, so I'm super excited! Consider checking this one out- I have some pretty cool ideas that I think are gonna turn out well. Also, Leo is the definition of being a clown, change my mind.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso & Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Leo Valdez & Reader, Leo Valdez/Reader, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Comments: 93
Kudos: 166





	1. You Dip

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone. Just a quick heads up as this fic starts- I haven't read the entire series in a hot second (re-reading, starting with PjO as we speak.) So, I'll be trying my best to make sure lore lines up with what's going on here, but please take everything with a grain of salt. For context- I think the last time I really dove into something PJ related was the musical (which SLAPPED.) That's not to say that I forgot what happened, though.  
> TLDR: The Disney+ announcement has aggressively brought me back to the fandom. 
> 
> Anyways- enjoy!
> 
> -disc

You had planned for this night for months. Carefully and systematically you had built up a supply of food, money, and water for the journey ahead. The journey in question was your next big escape from generic New York orphanage number whatever. You had been doing this sort of thing ever since you figured out how to. The usual routine settled in, slowly stow away snacks, then leave once the people in charge trusted you enough to leave you alone at night. Looking outside, you verified that It was just barley night. The edge of nightfall was the best time to leave for a couple of reasons. Firstly, everyone was mostly gone or asleep in the orphanages. The little kids called their own lights out at around 6, and the older ones usually didn't care enough to say anything. Right now, those same ideas were true. The only clues that someone in the orphanage was awake were the soft, occasionally creeks across the wooden plank floorboards. And, at the end of the day, it was probably the mice making those sounds, not an actual person. 

Secondly, at night, not a lot of people were on the streets. And, the ones that were didn't care enough to look up from their phones after a long day of work. Chances were you could slip out of any window or sneak out of any door and people would not bat an eye. Fewer eyes meant fewer people to track you down, which meant more time on the road and out of the system. That was the end goal: staying out the of system. Each time you left, your forays into the world had gotten longer and longer. But no matter what you did, you always ended up in another home with another set of kids and another caretaker who had to pretend to care about you. Tonight you were determined to stay free. No more people telling you what to do. No more stupid rules-just you and the open road.

You slipped on your shoes- an old, worn-out pair of Nikes that you managed to find at the local Goodwill. Next came a sweater, some gloves, and an iPhone you were bent on bringing with you and using at various coffee shops. Slowly looking around the darkroom, you scanned the corner you set up shop in. It wasn’t much- they never were. But despite its small size, you found new and inventive ways to hide whatever you needed in the nooks and crannies of pillows. In this case, you needed to hide an abundance of Dorito chips and Dasani water bottles. As quietly as you could, you started to put everything into your "go-bag" (it was really just an old Walmart bag you found on the street.) 

Shuffling through your go-bag one last time, it looked like you had everything you needed. Things like toothbrushes and toothpaste were things you could get later. Now, all you needed to do was open up the window. This was a well-practiced maneuver. Every orphanage always had this strange habit of setting you up by the windows. You didn't get why that always happened, but it was what it was. Also, there was also a creepy caregiver trend, too. Every home had one of them and they'd do a whole lot of weird things. But, that was another issue for another day. 

Sliding the window up, a soft  _ creek  _ filled the roam. You paused, your muscles tensing. You heard some people roll in their sleep- but it didn’t sound like anyone woke up.  _ Good _ , you thought,  _ now on to step 2 _ . Picking up a pencil you swiftly popped a hole in the window’s bug netting and started to carve it away. Your progress was slowly and first, but it eventually picked up until there was nothing standing between you and the New York streets below. You swung foot out and over the windowsill, then the other. Your exit was practically perfect. With a soft thud, you landed on the fire escape stairs. Thankfully, the plastic bag was still intact. One time you hadn't been so lucky and all your Fritos had gone freestyle skydiving onto the ground. 

“Not gonna miss ya, Mr. Perkins.” You mumbled as you started your descent. It wasn’t a quiet one, but you made it down unharmed. This was your 5th official orphanage escape. And, like all 4 attempts prior, it was a success. With a content sigh you decided to turn right and started walking. This would be the start of never going back.

You didn’t have a destination in mind- you never really did. All you knew was you wanted out of the system. Not only were you too old to have a real chance at getting adopted (you were 16), but something always went wrong at every orphanage you were sent to. It never was your fault- it wasn’t like you wanted to break all the bookshelves at Anderson’s or bust a hole open at Fellowship. The caregivers never liked you, and some were more forthcoming about that fact than others. A personal favorite of yours was when you were 7. They kept serving you undercooked chicken and hiding sharp, pointed objects near your bed. 

Fun times.

The point was- you didn’t have a good track record. It wasn’t even like you could soften the blow with good grades or a promising future- your ADHD and dyslexia made sure that those doors were shut nice and tight for you. The words would swirl off of the page and re-arrange themselves into anything  _ but _ the English language. It kind of dampened any motivation you had to do well in school, not like you had any to begin with. 

That and the other trials and tribulations of your life took up the better part of your mind as you continued your wanderings among the New York streets. You were so wrapped up in your thoughts that you didn’t even notice the yelling coming from behind you until you almost tripped on a rock, which pulled you back to reality.

"Y/n, where do you think you're going?" A man, better known as Mr. Perkins, asked. He was standing outside with no shoes on, and his hair looked disheveled. _Great, now I have to have a sob story talk with him._ Mr. Perkind was also just straight up a meanie. He safely fit into the "odd caregiver" category of things. 

"Oh, I was just... going for a walk! Nothing to worry about." You smiled, trying to feign innocence. Quickly, you shoved the bag behind you, hoping he didn't notice it.

"It's so late, why don't you come back inside? There is always tomorrow." No, you couldn't go back in. He'd put you on lockdown and probably set up kids to guard you. 

"The night air lets me clear my head. I promise I'll be back soon, okay?"

"That won't do.." He frowned and started walking towards you. "We've lost you too many times. You've gotten too big, too strong." Wait- _we?_

That's when things got weird. Like, really weird. In front of you, Mr. Perkins started shapeshifting. He hunched over and from his head sprouted two thick horns. His legs grew into two pairs of... bull hooves? And the rest of his body, well... It looked like the Bruce Banner had just transformed, but instead of turning into the Hulk he turned into a giant bull-man. Your legs started moving before you could tell them what to do. That wasn't Mr. Perkins anymore- that was some sort of monster. As you started to run, you could hear his hooves hitting the ground, slowly picking up speed. You felt like you were a goner, but then someone ran into you and pushed you sideways, against the ground. You felt a brisk breeze as Mr. Perkins bolted past right through where you were standing a few minutes ago. 

“Look out!” Was what they yelled before concrete met your skin. You skidded across the ground, scraping up some skin. 

“Hello?” You yelled at the boy who was on top of you. He had curly hair and wore an orange t-shirt with some text on it that you couldn’t make out. And where legs should’ve been were...hooves? 

_ Hooves?!  _ What was with everyone having hooves?

He seemed to sense your confusion.

“Ba-ah-ah- just roll!” You did as the goat-boy asked, rolling to your right. A loud smash was heard, and where you were before a giant fist was.  You scrambled to your feet. Mr. Perkins huffed and let out an angry roar.

“What's going on?” 

“Names Grover,” he pulled out a reed pipe, “Greek myths,” he started running towards you, skirting behind the monster, “real! Now, we need to run!” It wasn’t like you had anything better to do or wanted to stick around and see what this was all about, so you followed the goat. His hooves moved quickly, but you somehow found the strength to keep up. You looked over your shoulder, only to be disappointed that Mr. Perkins hadn’t forgotten about you guys. This was definitely the most exciting escape you had experienced yet. You hated it. 

“It’s still following us.” Grover turned down an alley and put his reed pipe to his lips. He started playing something that sounded scarily similar to  _ September _ by Earth, Wind, and Fire. “I really don’t know what’s going on but this doesn’t seem like the answer.” You looked around and spotted a small trash can. Mr. Perkind had probably gotten up by now judging from the stomping that was getting closer and closer. 

Grover was focused on playing his song. Deciding to take matters into your own hands, you yanked the lid off of the trash can. If only you paid more attention during seventh-grade history class- then you might’ve been able to pin what monster this was, if Grover was to be believed. In all seriousness- this might’ve been a dream. But, that wasn’t something you had the time to think about because Mr. Perkins had found you guys- and he was getting ready to charge.  Trusting your gut, you flung the lid at the beast. It harmlessly bounced off it. Looking at Grover for help, the only thing you got was a look that screamed  _ Nice try. _

“Grover…” the beast bared its horns in your direction and bent its knees. “Grover, whatever you're doing you better hurry up.” The beast started charging at the two of you. Remember when you swore that this would be the last time you escaped from an orphanage because you were never going back to one? Yeah- that was a funny time. You never thought that that would turn into you dying to a magical monster that turned out to be someone who worked at the orphanage. Everything always works itself out, you guessed, but just not in the ways you expect. 

“ _ Kalliergó! _ ” Grover yelled, raising his reed pipe up to the sky. Somehow, you understood that he had just said “Grow!” in Greek. How you knew this was a mystery that you honestly didn't care to think about. Up from the ground, vines started to push through the sidewalk.    


“What the…” you were frozen in place, partly from the vines, and the monster, and generally everything that was going on right now. Wow, this sucked. 

The vines continued to grow until they surrounded the two of you.    


“Gods I hope this works…” Grover placed his hand on the vines, “to Camp Half-Blood!” 


	2. You Get The Informational Pamphlet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You made it.
> 
> You made it to camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooo chapter 2. I think I'm going do a weekly update schedule because I wanna try and get a good backlog of chapters so if I hit an extreme writer's block I can still update! ^^

A lot of things happened at once.

Firstly, your vision was filled with a blinding, golden light. The last thing you saw was the monster a few feet away. Then, came the warm light and general out-of-body feeling. Imagine floating in a warm bath, but the bath is filled with jello and there were millions of small Orbeez. And, for added flavor, the jello was shifting between being liquid and gelatinous. The feeling only lasted a moment, but it wasn’t nice. It definitely wouldn't be a recommended experience, unless jello-Orbeez was your kind of thing. Next thing you knew, you had a raging headache and were sitting next to a pine tree. Grover was sitting next to you, handling the experience much better than you were. 

“Grover, what is going on? You have goat legs, there was a tall bull-man, and we dissolved into light. Now we’re on a hill next to a pine tree.” 

He stood up and called someone over.  “Chiron!” _Chiron?_ Hadn’t you heard that name somewhere before? “Everything happened so fast, I forgot to ask, what’s your name?” You stood up and crossed your arms. You were confused and would've appreciated some information. 

" _ Please  _ answer my questions, then I’ll tell you.” Your voice was soft, but everything was starting to hit you. Just minutes ago you had just left the orphanage with a bag full of snacks, ready for the open road. Now, you had been taken somewhere and you were with a goat-man-or someone with a really good costume. Grover nervously fidgeted with the corner of his orange shirt (which you could now make-out to say  _ Camp Half-Blood _ .) Then he took a sigh and composed himself.

“You already know my name, so we have that part out of the way. I’m a satyr, which means I’m half man, half goat,” he gestured to his lower half, “Greek mythology, the whole shebang, is real, by the way.”

“I gathered that.” A soft  _ clip-clop  _ was heard in the distance.

“There’s monsters, gods, goddesses, nymphs, and naiads…”

“I  _ said _ I gathered that.” Your voice came out harsher this time. Grover’s face fell, and his tail drooped. “Sorry, it’s just a lot to take in.” 

“It’s okay... I haven’t given this speech in a while, kind of forgot how weird this all is at first.” Wait- _speech?_ _At first_? “You’re at Camp Half-Blood: home for half-bloods, the children of the gods. Either your mom or dad is one of the big guys up in the sky.” He points up for emphasis. That explained that. Gathering from what he said, there were others like you. 

“Wish I paid more attention in history class.” Grover smiled, laughing. 

“Don’t worry- here at camp, we have everything you’d ever need to figure stuff out.” The  _ clip-clopping _ from earlier grew louder until a figure started to appear in view. “Chiron!” Grover yelled, “This is her.” The man, named Chiron, approached you. Just like everything else today, he was half-human. This time the creature of choice was a horse- a centaur. Anyone could have figured that out, but you took it as a small victory. You couldn't stress how minimal your knowledge of Greek mythology was.

“Hello…?” Chiron asked, waiting for you to say your name. He had a knowledgeable air about him- like whatever you were about to say or do, whatever problem you might face, he would have the answers. 

“Y/n, it’s Y/n.” He extended a hand out to you, which you tentatively shook. 

“I’m assuming Grover has told you what's going on?” His smile was warm, which you appreciated. Most adults you had had the  _ pleasure _ of interacting with weren’t as kind. 

“Roughly, yeah, he did.”

“In that case, Grover, do you mind going back to the Council? They have a few issues that need your attention.”

“Sure thing!” Grover waved goodbye to you and made his way down into the camp and out of your sight. The two of you stood in an awkward silence for a moment- which you hated. 

“So.. you’re a,” you gestured to his lower-half, “centaur?” Chiron smiled and started walking, ushering for you to follow. It was hard keeping up with him because he had four, horse-sized legs and you had two, human-sized legs. 

“Yes, I am a centaur- and the activities director here at Camp.” You were at the bottom of the hill now, and you had a clear view of the camp. In its entirety, it reminded you of any stereotypical summer camp, here was a large cabin near the entrance, a bonfire pit, and a volleyball court. You could’ve been convinced that this was a normal camp despite what the magical satyr told you. The only things stopping that from  happening was the greek-styled amphitheater, dueling arena, and lava climbing wall. 

“I’d like to formally welcome you to Camp Half-Blood, Y/n. I know you may be confused, but everything Grover told you is true. The gods have been here since the beginning, following Western Civilization. Right now, they reside here in New York.”

“So Zeus is chilling somewhere upstate?” You asked, amused by the thought. The God of the Sky sitting in a recliner watching Netflix brought a slight smile to your face. A small clap of thunder boomed, despite the skies being clear.

“Names have power. Be careful with who you call by name. Hailing any ancient creature could cause catastrophic events beyond your wildest dreams.” Chiron’s voice was serious. A small bead of sweat formed on your face and started to drip down. 

“Anyways,” you tried to change the subject, “you seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff.” Chiron chuckled to himself for some unknown reason, “Do you know who my...godly… parent is?” He stiffened for a moment. He was thinking something over- debating whether or not he was going to let you in on some secret. 

“No, no I do not. But, every godly parent has to lay claim to their children. It should only be a matter of time before yours claims you.”  _ So he decided on not sharing that secret, cool  _ you thought. 

Chiron guided you over a long line of cabins and explained that this was where you’d be sleeping- as in, in one of these cabins. Each cabin represented a god or goddess. Whoever your parent was, that's what cabin you’d go in. Walking down a long line of cabins, the two of you finally stopped at the most normal-looking building you’d seen yet. It was a regular cabin with some brown paint slapped on the outside. It looked old and used- but definitely the most welcoming cabin out of the buildings you'd seen yet. 

“You’ll be staying in Cabin Eleven- the Hermes cabin, and cabin of anyone who's Unclaimed.” Chiron knocked on the cabin’s door and you stepped back. Out from the cabin came a tall boy with curly brown hair and a playful smile on his face. Just like Grover and all the over kids at camp- he was wearing a Camp Half-Blood shirt. 

“Hey- I’m Connor!” Connor gave you a slight wave. “Claimed or Unclaimed?”

“Unclaimed.” Connor nodded and opened the door wider for you, inviting you inside. “Could you take things from here?”

“Mhm.” Gosh, how you wished people would stop talking like you weren’t there.

“Y/n, Connor, I’ll be around if you need anything. It’s about time that I talk to Mr. D about something.” With that ominous statement, he galloped away leaving you, much like Grover did, in the presence of other strangers.

_ Fun. _

“Um.” Was what your mouth decided to say instead of hello or nice to meet you. 

“Your name was Y/n, right?” You nod. “Nice. Welcome to Cabin Eleven, you’ll be here till your parent claims ya, which shouldn't be too long.” You took a hesitant step inside. It was cozy. A chorus of greetings met your ears and the campers inside welcomed you. “I’m the head counselor, so if you need anything, lemme know. Also- you can put your stuff on that empty bunk over there.” He pointed to the bottom bunk just a little ways away. 

“Yeah, sure.” You did that, lightly tossing whatever was left of your go-bag onto the bed. “What else do I need to..do? Chiron made it seem like there was more stuff.” Connor laughed.

“Well, there's the orientation films but,” he lowered his voice, keeping it barely above a whisper, “who wants to watch those?” This brought a small smile to your face. You barely knew Connor but you liked him already. 

“Not I.”

“That’s the spirit!” Connor walked over to a drawer and pulled out a slip of paper. “We have these on hand. They’re little pamphlets written in an easy-to-read font in English and translated into Greek if that’s more your style. It helps with the whole dyslexia thing and pretty much covers everything in the hour-long video Mr. D would make you watch.” You furrowed your eyebrows.

“How did you know I have dyslexia?” Connor scanned the paper and pointed to it. 

“We all do. Our minds are hardwired for Ancient Greek. You probably have ADHD, too.” Your mouth was agape. So  _ that's _ why you had dyslexia and ADHD? Because your mom or dad happened to be some greek god? You took the paper from Connor.

“Thanks that explains a lot. This’ll probably help, too.” You looked around. “Where can I get one of those shirts, by the way? Everyone has one.”

“Camp gift shop! Just let the cashier know it’s your first day.” You nodded and excused yourself from the cabin, taking a much-needed stroll alone. A lot of  _ wild _ stuff has just happened, and you needed some time to think.

Thankfully, nobody bothered you on your way to the building- called The Big House, according to Connor’s paper- and got a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. You changed into it and decided to walk around camp. You visited the armory and amphitheater, then decided to call it a night. It was already pretty late when you arrived, and the harpies were bound to be out soon. Retiring to Cabin Eleven for the night, you settled down and drifted off into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You got the shirt!
> 
> Word on the street is that next chapter a certain demigod is gonna make an appearance. But, who am I to say anything?  
> please leave any feedback and stuff in the comments!! I honestly have no idea what I'm doing.  
> Also- for anyone who cares, I'm on the Sea of Monsters now on my re-read :sunglasses emoji:


	3. This Summer Camp Has Swords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up from a nice, totally stress-free night of rest and relaxation. The day is wide open and everything is a possibility. The world is your own little demigod oyster! 
> 
> At least that's what it was until Connor finds you.

_ You stood in a black void. You blinked, trying to see anything. You waved your hands around, but you only felt a sharp, icy prickly on your skin wherever you swiped.  _

_ The void was silent and empty. It was also creepy- and you wanted to leave, but something was compelling you to walk forward. It was easy enough at first to ignore the temptation, but then your legs started to move on their own. One foot after another you traveled across the dark, seemingly getting nowhere.  _

_ You thought yelling for anyone would help, but you realized you couldn’t yell. Why couldn’t you yell? You’ve had dreams like this before. One time you dreamt that you were naked in school- stereotypical, but it had happened. The annoying difference between this dream and the school one was this dream felt so much more real. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can remind yourself that it's just a dream and float through it until you wake up. Maybe, even, make some decisions on your own. The thing was, with this dream, everything inside of you screamed this was real and you had no free will. _

_ “Find the warmth.” A voice commanded. The warmth? What did that mean? Shaking it off, you tried to think of warmth. Maybe, somehow, by thinking about warm things you’d find whatever the voice was looking for? _

_ “Feel the warmth.” Hadn’t you already been doing that? Or, at least, trying to do that. Thinking, you tried to touch your arm with your hand. That wasn’t the icy pang you had felt before. Warmth, you thought. Touching your hand to your neck, it felt almost as if it was thawing away...something. Your neck was warmer now. Nice. _

_ “W-warmth..?” You tested. Cool, you could talk now. “Where is the warmth?” Your feet still moved on their own.  _

_ “You need to find the warmth. Find it, and return to me.” You stumbled around, desperately trying to find it. It was starting to get colder- scarily cold. You felt like without this warmth you were going to die. You flailed around, trying to find it. The coldness was getting colder and tightening its grasp around you. if you didn't find the warmth soon it felt like you were going to stop moving. Any second now and- _

Then you woke up.

You bolted upright and banged your head against the bunk above you. Leaning out and over the side, you did your best to glance up and see if your bunkmate was awake, or even there. Luckily for you- they had gotten out of bed a lot earlier than you did. You tried to ignore the throbbing pain on the back of your head and instead focus on whatever that dream was- because it was something. to add to the fun head pain, it also felt like you hadn't gotten any sleep even though you turned in relatively early last night. 

You needed to find the warmth, that much you knew. You didn’t know why you had to find it. But, you didn’t feel like finding out what happens if you don’t find the thing a dark, mysterious, and creepy voice from a void tells you to find. Since greek mythology wasn’t much mythology anymore- doing that seemed like a bad idea. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

Glancing outside, it looked like it was early morning. This was surprising because you usually considered yourself one of those people who wakes up at noon. Your early start wasn’t the worst thing. Instead of going back to bed, you forced yourself to get ready for the day. Maybe a breath of fresh air would help you with the dream situation. You didn’t have much to wear (since you had planned on buying everything else at a store), so you put on a Camp Half-Blood shirt and some shorts. It was a simple look- and probably an overworn one- but it would have to do. 

Stepping outside, you had a moment to fully take in the camp. When you arrived last night, it was hard to see everything. Sure, there were lights, fires, and torches set up, but it didn’t let you admire the forest or the cute, little path down to the beach. It also didn’t let you see the bustling strawberry field that, apparently, was a thing here. Tons of people were already gardening- but it wasn’t really gardening. Yes, they had tools. But, they were just kind of… standing there. The berries seemed to respond to the camper's presence alone and grew for them. 

The most impressive gardener out of the bunch was an older fellow.  _ He can’t be a camper  _ you thought. He was way too old, and way too sad. But, he seemed to be extremely powerful. The strawberries by him went nuts. You made a mental note of him and decided to walk around and look for Connor, or something to do. And (this part was a little ambitious) maybe find "the warmth" while you were at it.

Connor’s pamphlet, paper, whatever you wanted to call it, was helpful. But, it didn’t explain what exactly a demigod was supposed to do at camp. You yourself had never gone to a summer camp, so it wasn’t like there was anything you could base it off of. Maybe all you were supposed to do was mindlessly roam about till you found someone to talk to. You hoped that wasn’t the case.

\----

Eventually, you found Connor. Or, more accurately, he found you. You had been checking out the armory when Connor had tapped on your shoulder and told you it was time for sword fighting. 

“Right now? We have sword fighting right now?” You asked, being caught completely off guard. Connor leaned back and checked something outside. 

“I mean, not _ right  _ right now, but pretty soon. Did you ever get a weapon?” You were supposed to get a weapon?  _ What? _

“No, I didn’t. Was that something I was supposed to do after the visit to the gift shop?” That came out harsher than intended. But, you didn’t enjoy being a problem for another person, much less someone who had been as helpful as Connor had. He ignored your tone and shuffled past you, making his way to a pile of indescribable sharp objects. He looked at you, the pile, back at you, then shuffled through the pile. 

“Sword or dagger?” He asked, shoving two weapons in your face. Both had a golden sheen to them, and both looked very dangerous. You responded with your gut instinct.

“Dagger.” Connor handed you the dagger. It felt okay in your hands- but you wouldn’t mind if it was longer. All things considered, it looked to be just under a foot long. If you had to go toe-to-toe with someone who had an  _ actual sword _ , you were a little hesitant in your abilities to do so. 

Connor waved for you to follow him. He was light on his feet. Unlike you, who was tripping over the various pieces of armor and weaponry that were scattered on the floor, he was able to navigate the room without touching a thing. Something told you he got that from his dad. 

You finally made it to the battlegrounds. It was a flat piece of land, save for the dummies that could be dragged to wherever. Everyone else from Cabin Eleven was already there- making you the odd one out. At the very least they all seemed understanding- or that was the vibe you were getting from them. 

Next to your cabin was another group of kids- this one smaller in comparison. They all looked different, but they all smelled the same- of motor oil. You tried to remember what greek god they would’ve been related to, but your mind blanked. Apparently the only one you could remember (Connor’s guide also had a shortlist explaining the gods) was Hermes. Everything else had fallen out of your brain.

“Alright guys, today we’re gonna be training with the Hephaestus cabin. Split yourselves into pairs and start sparring, okay?” Connor called out to the sea of kids. He gave a thumbs-up, and everyone started to move on their own. They all knew people here and had friends they wanted to duel with. You, on the other hand, didn’t. Watching the sea of people move about, you made your way over to Connor.

“I don’t know how to fight, or know anyone here-” You were interrupted by another person who had the same idea as you,

“Um, Connor, what do I do?” They asked. They had short black hair and sharp eyes. Connor looked between the two of you, thinking. He scanned the sea of people.

“Leo!” He yelled to whoever Leo was. You followed his stare and saw a boy emerge from the crowd. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt over his Camp Half-Blood shirt, brown pants, a yellow tool belt, and suspenders. His curly brown hair bounced as he half-jogged over to the three of you.

“What’s up?” Leo asked. Up close, you noticed how strangely elf-like he looked. His ears were pointed, and as a general statement, his complexion was impish. 

“Can you give Y/n,” he gestured to you, “an intro to fighting?

“Sure thing.” 

Connor said that he’d train Jayden (you learned that was the other person's name) leaving Leo to give you a crash course in fighting techniques. He found a free space for the two of you and picked up a random sword that had been left by someone else. 

“So, your name's Leo?” You weren’t exactly sure how one went about starting a duel with someone else. Names seemed like a safe start. He chuckled.

“That's me, Leo Valdez- Bad Boy Supreme and Super-sized McShizzle.” Leo proudly proclaimed. 

“Super-” you let out a restrained laugh, “Super-sized McShizzle?” You played with the dagger in your hand, trying to get used to its weight. 

“Did I stutter?” It was obvious from his tone that he was joking-and in all honesty, you didn’t mind it. You cracked a smile- something that hadn’t happened since you’d been at camp.You sighed, already defeated. It had been a while since you had to engage in a verbal duel like this. Most of the talkative ones at the orphanages you had been at were the littles kids, not the people who you could hold an actual conversation with.

“No, no you didn’t.”

“And you’re Y/n?” He asked.

“Yeah, that's me,” You help up your dagger, “Are you gonna teach me how to swing this thing around or what, McShizzle?” 

Leo explained how a basic fighting stance worked, told you where to put your weight, and taught you a handful of sword fighting maneuvers. Before you started, he warned you that he wasn’t the best at this kind of stuff. But, he was really good, which meant one of two things: he was either lying to you or the people who were good  _ were good _ . You had a sense it was the latter. 

Whatever the case was, the two of you had been going at it for a while now. While most of your attempts ended with your face first in the dirt, you had been getting better. One time you almost landed a hit. 

“Can I ask you a quick question?” You asked as you stood up from the ground and dusted off your kneecaps. 

“Shoot.”

“Because we’re demigods and stuff, are all weapons supposed to just  _ feel _ right?” You paused and rephrased your question, “What I mean is, should this dagger  _ not _ feel weird? This entire time it’s felt wrong in my hand if that makes any sense.” Leo took the blade and looked it over, which only took a second. 

“It’s not broken.”

“A dagger can break?”

“Sometimes the hilts on daggers get loose.” Leo absentmindedly played with the weapon in his hand like it was nothing. “Maybe you’re just too cool for this dagger.”

“I’m what?” You raised an eyebrow at the boy. His lips curled into a smile that screamed  _ I’m plotting and have a plan _ . In all honesty, it was a little terrifying. 

“It’s time for an adventure!” He declared, grabbing your hand and leading you away from training. You felt a warmth rise to your cheeks and you instantly felt like a middle schooler.  _ Blushing over a guy holding your hand, really? _

At first, you were worried about leaving with Leo out of the blue. But, then you were excited. This was the kind of crazy freedom you were craving, you decided. You liked the randomness and impromptu nature of it all. Camp Half-Blood wasn’t shaping out to be all that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that this chapter is kind of short. It was originally longer and a combination of this and the next chapter, but I decided to split them up into two different chapters because it was running a bit long.
> 
> please leave any feedback and thoughts in the comments!! I love hearing from you guys <3


	4. Training Takes A Detour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo's taken charge of your first sword fighting lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aa okay so this is a BONUS UPDATE because I kind of popped off this week, so I'm super far ahead of schedule. This chapter is kind of adorable, so I figured I'd post it, as a treat.   
> This doesn't mean the weekly posting time has been shifted by any means! I'll be posting the next one on Monday :D. 
> 
> -disc

A small giggle escaped you as Leo dragged you along. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t have let someone drag you around  _ at all _ , much less hold your hand for this long. Moreover, you would’ve thought that after running for this long he would’ve lost grip and let go of your hand anyways. Turned out- the guy had super strong hands. They were calloused and even though your hand was sweating (it was hot out), his grip never slipped. It was pretty contrasting to his overall appearance, which could be easily described as scrawny. Judging from the grease stains on his shirt (and somewhat all over him), he probably tinkered a lot. 

_Right-_ _Hephaestus_. It was somewhat coming back to you now. Hephaestus was the God of Forges, Technology, and stuff like that. It only made sense why Leo could tell if the dagger was broken so quickly. It also made sense as to why his grip was so strong. Heck- he even had an actual _tool belt_ on. How could you have missed that? It was right then and there you decided you were going to push yourself through a crash course in Greek Mythology. The Roman side you would worry about later. It was probably a better idea to take it one step at a time.

Finally, you two arrived at the armory. Leo let go of your hand as he slipped away into the building. You followed suit, tripping over a few stray swords.

“Why did you drag me,” you knocked over an armor stand and tried to prop it back up, “all the way back here? I’m probably just bad at using a dagger.” By now Leo was knee-deep in deadly weaponry. The most interesting part- he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

“To get you a different weapon.” He was still sifting through the pile. Sometimes he’d come across a loose spring or hilt that was missing a blade, and he’d pocket it in his tool belt. A soft glow would emit from the belt, then whatever Leo had put in there would be gone. 

You walked over to the boy and tried to carefully move some of the stuff he already looked over out of his way. 

“ _ Maybe _ you suck at fighting,” he paused like he was choosing his next words carefully, “but this dagger wasn’t helping. The way you were lunging forward…it’s kind of like when you have a gear that’s just a little too small for the transmission. You need something with more reach.” This comparison flew right over your head, but Leo didn’t notice. He had already moved onto the next pile, which seemed to finally reveal something he was interested in. “Aha!” 

Leo struggled for a moment. Then, he yanked out a six-foot-long spear. It was pretty basic in comparison to other things you saw in the room- but the light in Leo’s eyes suggested otherwise. He stumbled backward, almost falling onto a sword, as he freed the last little bit of the spear from the pile. 

“That was a close one.” He joked like his life hadn’t just been endangered. “For you.” Leo handed you the spear blunt side facing you. You took it out of his hand. Instantly, you felt the difference. You didn’t know how else to describe the experience other than… it felt more balanced. In whatever metaphor Leo was making over, maybe the gear in question was bigger now. It also could've been smaller. You didn't get mechanics, must less knew what a transmission was. 

“Thanks.” You mumbled. Leo smiled.

“No problem.” You helped him out of the pile of weapons. Then, the two of you began the trek back to the battlegrounds. As you walked, you played with the spear, tossing it back and forth between your hands. 

“Have you been claimed yet?” Leo asked nonchalantly. 

“Nope. Connor said I should get claimed soon.” Some kids lost control of a volleyball, sending it flying up above your heads. “How’d you know I was new?”

“You're wearing your chest plate backward.” You stopped dead in your tracks and looked down at your chest. How could you tell it was backward? Nobody ever told you how to tell if it was backward. Hastily, you tried to turn it so it was facing the right way. You were having trouble trying to keep the spear in one hand and fix the chest plate with the other. But, it eventually figured itself out.

“Better?” You asked. Leo gave you a thumbs up. 

“Way better.”

The rest of your trip back was uneventful. It was mostly filled with small talk about camp and general get-to-know-you things. An interesting fact about Leo you learned: he had a robot dragon. At this point, it shouldn’t have surprised you, but it did. Eventually, the two of you found yourselves back at the training ground. Surprisingly, nobody had noticed your little excursion. Or, if they did, they didn’t care enough to mention it. 

“I’m gonna win this time.” You taunted, more-so trying to hype yourself up more than anything. Leo smirked and took up his fighting stance. 

It was at that moment you realized what made him so intimidating.

Leo was a scrawny guy. That fact couldn’t be stressed enough- he was the definition of scrawny. It was like he invented it. But, whenever he was about to fight, he didn’t furrow his brows. He didn’t stiffen or suddenly drop his lighthearted attitude. Rather, he kept smiling. He looked like he knew he was going to win- or at the very least, crack a joke mid-battle that would mean your loss. His seemingly overwhelming confidence was what struck fear into your heart. But, his confidence also made you more determined to win. 

Without warning, you sprung towards him and swiped with the tip of your spear. Leo rolled out of the way, clearing your attack by a mile. You tried again, and then another time, practically spinning in a confused circle as you tried to land any semblance of a hit on Leo. 

“You’re not doing that thing we practiced!” He yelped on one particularly close call with the tip of your spear. 

“What ‘thing’?” You grunted back, eager to learn how you could improve.

“Gods...I don’t know. I forgot!” He shoved the shaft of your spear away from him, causing you to stumble backward. Whatever ADHD battle senses you had been told about were either broken or just weren’t kicking in yet. It  _ sucked _ .

“Oh, wait, no. I remember now.” Leo ducked underneath your spear, looped his arms around its shaft, yanked it down, and out of your grip. Your makeshift plan was to take a step back and loop back around, picking up your spear in the process. What ended up actually happening was different.

You tried to take a step back. But, you tripped on your back foot. Why did you have to be clumsy right now? Not being clumsy would've been pretty nice. You started to fall, bringing Leo with you. 

“Oh, gods!” First, you felt the loosely-packed dirt on your back, then you felt the weight on an  _ entire-person _ atop you. Leo’s previously conniving smirk was replaced with one of pure surprise. He quickly pushed himself up, but even then, the two of you were close. The two of you stayed like that in stunned silence, staring at each other. For once (in the brief time you’d known him), Mr. McShizzle seemed at a loss for words. You felt a not-so-subtly blush creep onto your cheeks. 

“It was balancing my weight, wasn’t it?” You breathed out, not sure what else to say. Leo blinked, swallowed, then nodded. But, he didn’t speak. “Okay.”

Someone, you didn’t know who, blew a conch, signaling that training was over. The loud noise seemed to snap Leo back to reality- because he regained his composure almost immediately. 

“Well,” Leo stood up and dusted off his pants, “that was fun.” You followed suit as you shook some loose pebbles out of the nooks and crannies of your armor. Though you’d never admit it to anyone, the only reason you took such a long time dusting yourself off was so you could compose yourself. How Leo was able to pretend that what just happened didn't happen was a mystery to you.

Someone falling atop you throws you for a loop, man.

“Yeah.” Was the response you finally settled on. “Thanks for teaching me- and for the spear.” Leo gave you a thumbs up.

“No problem Y/n.” He bent over and picked something up. You turned around and checked on the rest of your cabin. They were getting ready to head out. 

“I should probably go.” You took a couple of steps back (thankfully) not tripping over yourself this time. “See you around?” That question was a hopeful venture- but you hoped he would say yes. You liked Leo’s company. It was a nice change of pace from the closed-off, solemn demeanors you were used to. 

“Yeah! See you around.” Leo turned around and started to walk away. He got only six feet away before turning back around. “OH! And Y/n,” he called, “your chest plate wasn’t actually backward. I could tell cause of the beads!” He revealed a necklace that was tucked underneath his shirt. On the necklace there was a bead was a design you couldn’t exactly discern. But- you knew you didn't have that. You didn't even _have_ a necklace. 

You looked down at your chest plate, then back up at Leo. He had a satisfied smile plastered onto his face. _Damnit._ You looked down again to fix your armor, but you were having trouble with the straps. Looking up, you expected to see Leo watching you as you struggled. But, by that time he had already walked away. His prank was a success. It was right then and there you decided you would get him back. You didn’t know when, and you didn’t know where, but you were determined to get even.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oop they fell.
> 
> Also, I finally finished Titan's Curse and now I'm SAD again.


	5. Leo Has A Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is from Leo's Point of View with a few of Jason's thoughts thrown in btw!
> 
> Even though this one turned out short, it was by far my favorite chapter to write yet.  
> -disc

This was bad.

This was very, very bad.

Leo couldn’t even begin to list the many ways in which his current situation was bad (well, he could, but that's beside the point.) After he made sure he was in the clear and out of Y/n’s sight, he busted out into a full-blown sprint. He had to find Piper, Jason, anyone. Festus could sort out most of his problems- but this was beyond him- that's how you _knew_ it was bad. 

He knew his chances of finding his two friends from Wilderness were better if he just checked their cabins instead of running around camp like a chicken with its head cut off. First up was the Aphrodite Cabin- Cabin Ten. Piper was first on his go-to list when it came to talking things out. With any luck, she'd be here so he could catch her up to speed and hope she had an ounce of advice for him. Leo knocked on the door a bazillion times until someone finally opened the door. It was Drew- _ great.  _

“Piper isn’t-” Drew started to deadpan.

“Nope.” He cut her off, spinning on his heels and making his way towards Zeus’ Cabin. He didn’t have time to deal with Drew today, or any day, for that matter. 

Thankfully, Jason was visiting camp today, so Leo had high hopes that he would be able to find the guy. He speed-walked past everyone. They were used to it now-his random trips across the camp. Most of the time he would be carrying stacks of metal or boxes of nails too and from Bunker 9.  So, as he barreled his way through camp, it was almost second nature for kids to move. He didn’t even bother knocking on the door this time and instead opted for bursting through them. Was there a chance he would walk in on something? Yes. Did he care? No. Leo stopped caring about those kinds of precautions after the 5th time he walked in on one of his friends getting a little snuggly with each other. 

“JASON!” He yelled, staring at the blonde boy. Jason was laying on his bed with his glasses on, reading a book.

“Jason?..” He confusedly replied as he put his book down. “Leo, what is it?” 

“It’s bad, man.” Leo took it upon himself to sit on the ground considering there wasn’t any other furniture in the room. “It’s really bad.”

“What’s bad? Leo, what's going on?” Leo ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Thank goodness Leo had found Jason. He might've been stuck opening doors to cabins like an idiot for hours otherwise.

“It’s the girl that Grover brought to camp last night. The one Grover was sent on a mission to save.” Jason raised an eyebrow then sighed. His face changed from a worried expression to a soft, supportive smile. Excluding the time he and Jason spent together while Jason was Misted into his life, Leo and Jason were pretty close. Leo could tell when Jason was about to go on a big lecture about the importance of eating your vegetables and getting outside. Jason could tell when Leo was about to go on a tangent about some cool upgrade he added to Festus. Their closeness made a conversation like this a lot easier to have, mostly because Jason could read Leo right now like a book. What Jason was picking up was one thing and one thing only: girl problems. That used to be a normal thing for Leo. But, after Calypso, stuff like that had been different for his firey friend.

“Are you..catching feelings?” Jason’s tone was quiet, a sharp contrast to Leo’s current demeanor (loud.) Leo raised a finger and opened his mouth like he was about to lecture Jason on the millions of reasons he was  _ not _ catching any feelings other than  _ friendship _ for Y/n, but no words came out. 

That wasn’t good. 

“I’m..-look, no, okay? That’s not the point.” So maybe his slight hesitation to say that sentence was more telling than he would’ve liked it to be. So what?

“Hey, even with what happened-” Jason tried to avoid Leo’s obvious attempt to change the subject. Leo wasn’t having it- especially if _that_ was the direction this conversation was going. He wasn’t ready for that, and he didn’t think he ever would be. 

“Dude, don’t.” Jason seemed to get the message. 

“So, what’s the issue then?” The way he asked the question was methodical and very Jason-esq. It was like this was a jigsaw puzzle, and Jason was trying to figure out the fastest way to solve it. Or, better yet, Jason was about to fight a battle and needed a run-down on the strategy again. 

“Well, I think Y/n is  _ her. _ Y/n is the girl, by the way.” Jason nodded, following along. “I know that Chiron doesn’t tell us everything, which kind of sucks sometimes because we’re the Big Cool Muchachos who saved the day. But- why else would he send Grover out on a Seeker’s quest?” 

“I mean...you have a point. But, you can’t just assume that. Maybe Grover was bored.”

“Bored and wanted to put his life on the line? Jason, c’mon, I thought you were supposed to be good at this kind of thing.” 

“That’s Annabeth, and Piper.” Jason retorted.

“...Fair.”

Leo flopped onto the ground and stared at the ceiling. The mosaic pieces flashed with each small crack of ambient thunder. He wondered how anyone could get any sleep in here- especially with the giant statue of Zeus towering over you all the time. Silence fell over the two demigods. 

“We’re going to have to wait until Chiron says anything about it.” Jason mentioned, knowing his friend was probably inclined to impulsively let the camp’s director know what he was thinking as soon as he ran into the centaur. 

“I know.” Was Leo’s dejected response. The air fell silent again, but only for a moment before Leo changed the topic of conversation, “She’s almost as bad with a sword as I was.”

And their conversation went on like that for a while. At some point midway through a description of Leo’s heroics in finding Y/n a spear, Jason had moved off of his bed and onto the floor by Leo. Even though his fiery friend hadn’t admitted it, Jason had a good feeling he knew how Leo already felt about Y/n. He also understood the whole package that came with that situation, so he had to be there for Leo, regardless if he guess was right.

Outside, the sun was setting. Regular camp training activities were coming to a close, and the nightly campfire was drawing nearer. Demigods and satyrs alike were getting ready for the festivities ahead. 

Back in Cabin Eleven, Y/n laid on her bunk, her mind wandering and processing what had happened to her in the past 24 hours. She  _ had _ been studying the different greek gods and goddesses- but within the first 5 minutes that proved to be too boring for her liking. Instead, Y/n would rather think about all the fun things she has done during the day. A content sigh escaped her lips. If this was what it felt like to feel at home, she liked it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when DOESN'T Leo have internal turmoil? Writing a story where he just gets to be happy is illegal, guys. I don't make the rules, sorry.  
> As always, kudos and comments are greatly GREATLY appreciated! Turns out that interacting with the people who read your stories is kinda neat :)
> 
> -disc


	6. The Campfire (Song)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh things couldn't be worse  
> When your parents won't claim you even tho they swore to the univerrseee

You had been in Camp Half-Blood for a little under a week by now. And, so far, you loved it. While you had mostly kept to yourself, the persistent Hermes kids cracked through your shell, with Grover’s help of course. Even though he was busy doing The Council of Cloven Elders things, he stopped by every once in a while since he, ya know, brought you here and everything. You liked to think that the two of you had become decent friends.  Outside of your cabin, you had spoken with Leo Valdez, the demigod who tried to teach you how to fight, snuck you in and out of training, switched your dagger for a spear, and then fell on top of you. But, your meetings were brief at best. You always caught him at a bad time. He was always caught up in some project.

Nothing as eventful as your entrance to the camp had happened (that wasn’t a bad thing by any stretch) but you kept yourself busy- mostly with training. Even when it wasn’t scheduled, you found yourself poking the straw dummies like there was no tomorrow.

“Cabin Eleven- move out!” Connor waved your cabin mates along as you all marched over to the bonfire You had grown to love this nightly ritual- except for the assigned seat part. Apparently sitting anywhere was against some ancient rule. For reference, Connor said the last time someone picked what table to sit at, the entire camp had a two day lockdown and a  _ serious _ termite problem. 

Even though you knew pretty everyone in Cabin Eleven by now, you felt out of place. Two other kids had come into camp after you and had been claimed by their godly parent. Then, there was you. Still unclaimed and still wondering who up in the sky was so hesitant to dub you there's. Like everything- the Hermes kids were nice about it. But that didn’t stop the other campers from making snide comments when they thought you were out of earshot. 

As you filled up your plate with roasted pork, carrots, and an assortment of other food you walked to the flame. This next part had only just started to not be weird for you. You scrapped off what you eyeballed to be about half of your food into the fire. Instantly, the smell of homemade cookies and freshly made hot cocoa filled your nose.  _ Mom, Dad, whoever you are. Please say something. _ You silently prayed as you walked away from your offering. You wanted to add  _ you’re also kind of obligated to claim me, so, _ but that seemed overkill. 

“Alright campers.” Chiron announced. A tired Mr. D sat beside him, begrudgingly drinking a can of Diet Coke. “This week was another week of hard work and well-mannered fun. You should all be proud of yourselves.” There was a small pause that was filled with clapping. “Congratulations to the Demeter Cabin for their victory in the month's chariot race!...”

Chiron’s voice faded as your mind wandered, as it was want to do. You hadn’t had any strange dreams like you did on your first night of camp. And it wasn’t like you weren’t looking for “the warmth”, whatever that meant. Maybe the dream was just delayed, or you weren’t supposed to come to camp as early as you did? Maybe, you reasoned to yourself, the dream was urging you to find the warmth, except the warmth was actually the fire at Camp Half-Blood. So, when you showed up a day too early, the dream was just backlogged. That would explain why you hadn’t had any more dreams like that. All things considered, it sounded like the problem was solved. You mentally high-fived yourself.

Man, you were good at this. 

You were so lost in your mental mind palace that it took Grover poking you with an aluminum can to snap you back to reality. “Y/n? Yn!” You bolted upright and looked at the satyr, who took a content bite out of his snack now that you were mentally here. 

“W-what? What did I miss, Grover?” 

“Chiron’s speech, that’s all.” You took a sip of your  _ Surfer Cooler Capri Sun  _ copycat you had summoned into your cup earlier. You debated telling Grover about your dream, and how you had solved its riddle. It probably would’ve made you look pretty competent and cool. But, ultimately, you decided against it. The dream was kind of old, and was the actual point in telling him other than “oooo I solved the puzzle”?

“Does it usually take this long?” Was the sentence you settled on. Grover knew what you were referring to- your parent claiming you. He gave you a weak smile.

“They might just be busy. Percy made them swear to claim everyone.” Through your conversations with Grover, he had mentioned this Percy more than once. And, from what you had gathered, he was an intimidating dude. Apparently he had stopped a couple of wars in his time. That alone was enough to send a shiver up and down your spine. 

The long and short of it was if you ever meet Percy face to face your flight or fight reaction would kick into high gear, and you would start running. 

“Hopefully that’s the case.” You murmured back to Grover, who by now had just finished his can and was eyeing another. Most kids had finished their meals and were getting up to do whatever. By your judgment, the singalong wouldn’t be for another hour or so. You officially had time to kill. “Are there any other cool places in camp I should see?” 

Grover was mid-way through picking up an aluminum can. “Yeah Y/n. Did I show you the wildflower field yet?” You shook your head.

“Nope. But, I’d love to see them.” Eagerly, Grover stood up and started leading you towards this wildflower field. 

Another thing that was probably worth mentioning- Grover had been showing you all these cool “insider secret” places in camp ever since you arrived. Your personal favorite was a small area by the lake, just underneath the docks. There was a small family of crabs living in the sand, and you loved each and every one of them. 

“Ta-da-da-a!” Grover cleared a small patch of weeds and showed you the garden. It was small, but it almost felt better that way. You crouched down to get a better look at all the flowers.

“They’re all so pretty… what's this one called?” You pointed at a bundle of bright orange flowers with small petals.

“Those are snapdragons! And the ones next to those are thistles, and behind them, both are wax flowers. Ignore their name- they aren’t really made of wax.” You smiled. Usually, Grover was stressed out because of his Council of Cloven Whatever duties. And although you knew you’d never be the friend he’d let it all out on, it brought you some happiness when you got to listen to him infodump like this. In general- hanging out with Grover equaled good vibes all around. 

“This is so cool.” You shuffled over to examine another small patch of flowers in the makeshift garden. “I lived in the heart of the “concrete jungle” so I never really saw flowers just...growing like this. I mean, I saw pictures but, it’s not the same.”

After your small excursion to Grover’s flower field, you both parted ways. Grover to go do something that was probably important, and you back to the main part of the camp. Maybe you’d try and climb the rock wall, but turn the lava on this time. You were also considering playing volleyball. The volleyballs at camp glowed in the dark, which made playing the sport much more entertaining at night than during the day. One small internal debate with yourself later, you landed on volleyball. And you were almost at the court, too, before someone tapped you on the shoulder. 

“Hey.” You glanced over your shoulder. It was Leo. It looked like he hadn’t been out of the workshop in a solid two days- there was motor oil smudged across his face like battle paint. 

“Hey, McShizzle.” Leo tried to wipe the oil off of his face with his sleeve, but that only made it worse. A small laugh escaped you as he realized that his attempts were pointless. “What's up?”

“Small duck dude is whats up.” You hadn’t noticed it before, but he had been hiding something behind his back. He brought the mystery object into view. It was, in fact, a small duck dude. It had a very steampunk aesthetic. The wires connecting it were hidden by various pieces of discolored metals, save for a small opening near its wing. Its eyes were gears that spun. Leo placed the duck on the ground.

“Look, look, look.” With a swift press of a button, the duck started to waddle. There were children's toys that could do this- so that wouldn’t have been impressive on its own because, well, it was Leo. For as much tinkering as he did, small things like this were probably nothing.

What made this duck impressive was how realistically it behaved. It didn’t just walk with an uncanny likeness to the real thing, it just straight up behaved like a duck. The duck walked over to you and nuzzled your leg, then looked up at you. 

“Can I pick it up?” All you wanted to do was give this small thing a big hug, wrap it in a blanket, and protect it from all the evil in the world. Volleyball was now the most boring thing in the world, and you questioned why you even considered playing it a few minutes ago. Leo was beaming by now.

“Mhm.” Excitedly, you scooped it up. The metal wasn’t as pointy, or sharp at all, as you expected. As the duck shuffled around your hand, its pho-webbed feet felt similarly to the real thing. 

“It can also swim. It’s fully waterproof, the whole thing.” He didn’t realize the implications of that simple phrase. This thing could  _ swim _ ?

“No way.”

“Yes, way. Follow me, we can watch this little guy take his first swim.” 

You followed Leo down to the beach. You had never been there before, but the horizon was peaceful in the night sky. The waves softly hit the sandy beach and receded back into the nothingness.

“You’re sure he’s gonna be okay?”

“Yup.” Hesitantly, you placed the duck on the shore, just right by the water’s edge. It slowly wadded its way into the water. You clenched the edge of your shirt because you were so worried that this duck wouldn’t survive.

“I’m naming it Deena.” You blurted out. Leo cocked his head at you with a small smile and glint in his eye you couldn’t quite place.

“I like it. That’s a nice name.” His voice was soft, and you appreciated it. Maybe he could tell you feared for Deena’s life right now even though you didn’t peg him to be that perceptive of a guy. No offense.

Finally, Deena hit the water. For starters, she was staying afloat, which was good. Leo mumbled a quiet “yes!” next to you. All was going well so far. In fact, Deena even let out a small quack of victory as it explored its new watery environment. It looked happy, which in turn made you happy. Deena really was swimming.

That was when the first spark flew.

It had been a solid 15 seconds before Deena’s wings flapped out and jerked back into itself, a couple of electrical sparks flying out. Deena, who had been doing fine, was now  _ very much not doing fine _ . 

“No!” On gut instinct you thrust your hand out, not knowing exactly what that would do to help. Maybe you thought that you could grab Deena out of the water or something despite it being too far away.  _ Don’t short circuit, don’t short circuit. You’re too young to go! _

It looked like it was too late for Deena. But, then whatever was going wrong stopped going wrong. It was like the water just stopped caring about Deena. Deena quickly swam back to shore and sat down in the sand a good ways away from the water. You followed Deena as it practically ran out of the water, but then your eyes stopped. Apparently during this whole thing, Leo was already in the water, shoes still on and everything. He was frozen in his place like a deer caught in headlights. 

“Electricity travels through water, you dummy.” You commented as Leo stood there.

“I would’ve been fine.” He slowly started to walk backward out of the water. The bottom half of his pants were dripping wet. “I had everything under control. Deena was  _ supposed _ to do that.” 

“If you say so.” You shook your head.  _ Supposed to do that my butt  _ you thought. Leo had already picked up, patted its head for comfort, then turned it off. Even as Leo idly stood, you could tell his mind was wandering and already thinking of ways to fix whatever happened with Deena. “Was this what you were working on this whole week?”

“Kind of. I don’t really work on one project at a time… it’s kind of whatever I feel like doing.” Instantly the image of a forge with 50 different partially completed machines in different corners filled your mind. “Deena wa-” Leo’s eyes widened and he almost dropped Deena for a scary second. He just barely caught it in his arms again before snapping out of whatever trance he was in.

“What?” 

“We have to go to The Big House,  _ now. _ ” Leo had been at camp longer than you and understood this whole “demigod thing” better than you by extension. Trusting him, you followed Leo as he ran to the big house with Deena cradled in his arms. You didn’t notice it at the time, but around you, people were staring. “Don’t fade you stupid, stupid symbol.” Leo yelled to nobody.

He opened the doors. Instantly, you regretted coming. Chiron was playing an intense game of what looked like pinochle with Mr. D. You felt you were interrupting something nobody at camp was supposed to see. It was uncomfortable. 

“Chiron!” Leo yelled, snapping the centaur out of his trance. 

“Yes, Leo?” It was when his gaze settled on you that his face dropped, even if it was the tiniest bit. “I see.” 

“Guys, what's going on?” You really, really would’ve liked to known. Right now you felt like a hamster for display at a pet store.

“You’ve been claimed, Y/n.” Albeit awkwardly, Leo got down on one knee and bowed his head respectfully. You had seen (and even done this) when kids have been claimed. “All hail Y/n,” Chiron announced to a non-existent crowd, “Daughter of Posideon, the God of the Sea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes im basic. yes i did it because i have 1 (one) cute idea for it. 
> 
> let me write Percy being a brother in peace.
> 
> also- the duck Deena was named after my favorite Animal Crossing villager- Deena!


	7. Smells Like Sea Salt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You move into your new cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: borderline anxiety attack

Apparently, being the daughter of the sea god was a whole thing. Because, as soon as Chiron finished his spiel, Mr. D cursed in ancient greek and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a faint smell of freshly-picked grapes. While you didn’t appreciate how pomp-and-circumstance it was, at the very least you were claimed now. You’d get a new cabin with new cabinmates. You finally wouldn’t feel so alone. And, maybe it was a normal thing for Mr. D to be mad at your...dad? Or at least have some sort of interest in your parentage. 

At least, that's what you thought until you got to Cabin Three. 

The place smelled of the sea, which you had yet to determine if that was a good or bad thing. There was a broken fountain that looked like someone tried to fix it then gave up 20 minutes later. There was even a small coral garden on the window. The walls were decorated with water-horses (for lack of a better term) and empty bunks- save for one that had its blankets thrown every which way. At the very least that meant you had a half-sibling here, right? 

“It sure is big.” You commented to Leo who was helping you carry your stuff over. It wasn’t much, and Connor had offered to help instead, but Leo _insisted_ that he should be the one who helped you move into your new cabin. His reasoning was something along the lines of “he was there when you got claimed so he got to call dibs.” You didn’t get it- you were even pretty sure Connor didn’t get it-but Leo was bent on carrying your sleeping bag. 

“Yeah, Percy always complains about it.” He gently placed your belongings on the ground. 

“Wait- did you say  _ Percy _ ?” You spun on your heels.

“Yes? Percy Jackson. OH-” Leo’s face lit up, “he’s your half-brother, by the way. Do you know him or something?” 

“No, I don’t. But, Grover told me some stories and if I’m being kind of honest, the dude scares me.” Leo was very obviously holding back a laugh like you had just fallen for some kind of joke or prank. You scowled. “The dude stopped two wars- he literally helped defeat the  _ EARTH _ !” You talked with your hands for emphasis. Why wasn’t he getting how bogged out the concept of being related to Percy Jackson was to you? Heck- why wasn't Leo somewhat concerned about being in the same room as Percy?

“Y/n-”

“No Leo. I’m not done,” you sat on a bed, now on a tangent, “he’s probably like, seven feet tall and just  _ pure _ muscle. He’s probably the oldest demigod here. How absolutely  _ ripped _ do you have to be to make THE GODS swear to actually care about their children? Answer me that, Leo. Answer me that.” You had been so lost in your rant that you only just now noticed Leo doubled over on the ground, laughing and crying tears. “What?” You deadpanned.

“All I can think about is a Percy that looks like how you described him.” Leo was wheezing, his words getting lost in laughter. 

“He stopped a war! How am I supposed to compete with that?” It was clear that your words were falling on daft ears. Yes, he was calming down from his prior fit of hysteria, but he was still laughing. One moment you thought it was over, but then he’d giggle, then break out into laughter, calm down, and repeat the process. It wasn’t until you dragged the rolled-up sleeping bag he was leaning on out from under him that he finally snapped out of it with a  _ thud _ . 

“Ow..” You walked away from the boy and picked out a random bunk and threw the sleeping bag over it. Your plan was to use the sleeping bag as another blanket just because.

“Sorry, it’s just,” you flopped back on your bed, “it’s kind of intimidating.” There was a shuffling noise as Leo got up and walked over to you. You lifted your head and saw him standing at your bedside. 

“C’mon, it’s not like Percy’s gonna hold you to any expectations. And for the record, he’s not that tall.”

“How do you know thaaaat?” You whined. 

“Because I was trapped on my ship with him for some time. If you thought my jokes were bad- ay, caramba you’re in for a time.” He was trapped on a ship with him? No, sorry _his_ ship? Did that mean...

_ No. _

_ No way. _

“Leo, be honest with me. Did you also help defeat the earth?” Leo swung down and sat on the bed next to you. He smiled like he did back when he was trying to teach you how to fight 

“Maybe. And stop calling it the Earth! It was a whole immortal deity.”

“Seriously?!” This was a mistake. As soon as you showed any amount of interest in this aspect of his life- Leo’s attitude switched to that of someone who just ran a marathon and came in first place without breaking a sweat. His confidence went through the roof.

“There were seven of us and I was one of them. I was the most important person on the team- even more important than Percy.” The way he said that caused you to raise an eyebrow. Not only did it seem like he didn’t believe it, but there was another layer to his statement that you just weren’t getting.

“So, if you’re gonna be intimidated by anyone,” he laid down, turned on his side, and propped his head up using his hand, “be intimidated by me.” If it was possible to finger gun without using your hands, that was exactly what Leo was doing right now. 

And, if you were being honest, you didn’t mind it.

“I’m shaking in my white Nikes.”

“Good. Get used to being in the presence of this much awesomeness, because,” he summoned a watch from his toolbelt, “Percy should be back in a few minutes.”

Immediately you bolted upright and hit your head on the bed above you. There was an audible  _ thump _ as your head made contact with the wood. You slowly laid back down, deciding that the comfort of the mattress might be the move for a little bit. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Out of the corner of your eye that wasn’t covered by your hand that was now on your forehead you saw Leo’s face come into view. He was rightfully concerned, the smirk he had just worn now off his face. His black hair hung around his face as he looked down at you.

“Yeah, no I’m good.” You lied, trying to hide any evidence that you were feeling a great deal of pain. “So why did you just tell me that my half-brother was going to show up in a couple of minutes  _ now _ or was that something that was just supposed to happen?”

“I kind of...forgot?” Exasperated, you carefully got out of the bottom bunk and started pacing.

“What do I do? What do I say? ‘Hey, I’m your half-sister because our dad got a little freaky under the sheets with my mom’?” 

“It’s going to be fine Y/n!”

“Where do I stand? Should I pose, Leo? Is posing going to make it better?” You leaned against one of the sea walls and struck a pose: one hand was on your hip, the other was placed behind your hand in a _very cool_ manner. Your heart rate was picking up and, if you were being honest with yourself, you felt pretty jumpy. “Is this working?”

“Wow, you are making this complicated.” Leo’s comment did not reach you. You were too concentrated on the clock’s hands ticking.

“Those clock hands move pretty fast, huh?”

“Y/N!” You whipped your head around to see a concerned-looking Leo standing a little ways away from you. “It is going to be fine, okay? Repeat after me: It’s gonna be okay”

“I don’t think that’s going to help anythi-”

“Trust me, please?” You complied with his request, broke your pose, and stood like a normal person instead of a model.

“Fine...It’s gonna be okay.” 

“Good,” Leo’s voice was soft, quiet, and soothing, “now, take three deep breaths.” One deep breath through your nose, hold it for five seconds, then exhale was the pattern you settled on. Each breath that beating in your chest faded away a little more. Leo put his hand into a pouch on his tool belt and pulled out a pack of mints. He popped the container open and gave you a mint. 

“Mint.” Was all he said. You popped the mint in your mouth. It was unexpectedly chewy and distracted you from what was about to happen. You absentmindedly sucked on it. “Do you feel better?” 

“Yeah, I do..” You responded, “Thanks.” You didn’t know how Leo knew how to do that, but he did. Whatever little panic spiral you had almost fallen into went away. 

“Percy’s gonna kill me if he sees me in here, so I’m gonna go. If I catch him I’ll let him know what's up.” You nodded and gave him a small thumbs up. “I'll also add that his corals are doing fine and his fountain looks great. Really butter him up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when Leo says he was the most important one out of the seven as a joke but also a hint of truth because he died killing the evil earth women and literally nobody but me is going to pick up on that so I feel compelled to ramble about it in the endnotes of the fic because that's how it be something. And Leo knows how to calm someone down from borderline anxiety attack because he would have them when he was little about his mom while he was running away and dealing with the grief and guilt of it all and give this man a hug.
> 
> Anyways my weeks been fun!  
> I hope everyone's had a wonderful week as well. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings lmao.  
> -disc


	8. Club Seaworld

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy's back- and it's time for you to meet him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I wait till midnight so technically I could update this on Leo's birthday?
> 
> Yup. :)

After Leo had left you alone in cabin three, you decided the best first impression wouldn't be standing by the door expectedly. Laying down on a bunk would probably go over a lot better. So, that’s exactly what you did. Making your belongings a little more presentable, you put your clothes in a bag and underneath your bed. Then, you straightened out your sheets. Heck, you even re-did Percy’s sheets out of courtesy.

 _It’s going to be okay._ You repeated to yourself. You had to convince yourself of that, because when you heard someone walking towards the door outside every fiber of your being said “no, it really isn’t going to be okay”.

The footsteps grew louder and louder. Soon enough they became the sound of someone jostling a door handle. Then, for the finale, the creaking of the cabin’s door flooded the room. It crashed against everything in the cabin and sucked everything towards it. 

Your brother had arrived.

He slides into the room, having the door just barely open. Based on your first impression of him- he was an athletic guy, there was no doubt about it. But, he wasn’t as beefy as your mind had made him up to be. He wasn’t as tall as you imagined, either. 

His black hair was messy. The kind of messy that had the air of “I was once brushed but refused to cooperate.” It was fitting, you decided, since he was a son of Poseidon. If you had to compare him to anything, it would be a typical skater boy, or maybe a low-key surfer if you were really stretching it. All in all, he was just a person like anyone else. 

“Hello?” He called out as his sea-green eyes scanned the room. It looked like Leo had run into him before he got here because he knew that someone was supposed to be here. Your muscles tensed for a moment because you were unsure of what to do next. 

“Hey.” You said back, realizing that just not saying anything would've been the worst thing to do. You slung yourself out of your bed, “Are you Percy?” Retrospectively that was a dumb question. 

“I’m Percy. Are you Y/n?” It was like a mental duel. Both of you were testing unknown waters. It was obvious that the answers for both of these questions were going to be yes, but getting the extra confirmation seemed to ease both of your minds. 

“Yeah.” Immediately his hesitancy faded. Thank gods.

“Hey!” He exclaimed, giving you a bright smile. This Percy was a lot more approachable than the one that you’d seen just moments prior. You appreciated how relaxed he was being about all of this as well. 

“So, you’re my brother?” Percy walked over to where you guessed his bunk was and started to put a couple of things away. 

“Yup. Welcome to Club Seaworld.” 

You scoffed. “Club Seaworld? Fun.” All he did was shrug in response to your comment. 

“Comes with the parentage.” So far, Percy seemed like a genuine guy. “How long have you been here and when did you… find out?” 

“I’ve been here for just around a week, and I literally _just_ got claimed.” You laughed, “I’m still kind of reeling from it all.” 

“That’s..fair. I mean, we’re not supposed to be here because of the pact the gods made. Now they can have kids, but you look a little older than two.” He laughs. You didn't get the joke. He shakes it off and keeps barreling forward. “I think in my first week I drenched someone with toilet water.” The humor of his bathroom adventure was almost enough to distract you from the fact that, apparently, you weren’t supposed to be around. 

“What pact? Was that why Mr.D angrily poofed away when I was claimed, ‘cause he did that.” He froze for a moment before walking over to you. 

“After World War II, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon swore they wouldn’t have any more kids but….” he gave you a look that basically told you what you needed to know: they didn’t follow through, as evidence by both of you standing in this cabin.”It’s kind of different now, though. All the gods are supposed to claim their kids. Heck, my dad even joked that he'd send me some siblings,” Percy looked far, far away for a second before snapping back into reality, "I thought he was joking at the time."

“Well, that’s...cool.” In an attempt to change the vibes of the room, Percy’s eyes widened: he had an idea.

“How about I introduce you to some of my friends?” You could tell by the tone of his voice that any answer other than yes would have been very disappointing. Thankfully, you weren’t opposed to this idea. In fact, you were kind of excited. Yes, you loved the Hermes Cabin and everything they did for you, but the chance to befriend people outside of your own cabin was exciting. 

“Yeah, sure!” Percy leaned back towards his bunk and looked at it, scanning to see if he had to put anything else away. 

“I’m good to go if you’re ready.” You gave Percy a thumbs up.

\-----

Percy was currently in the process of giving you the rundown of all his close friends, and anything else you had questions about. For starters you learned that there weren’t just Greek demigods- there were also Roman, Norse, and Egyptian demigods, to name a few. Apparently some of Percy’s friends were Roman and usually stayed at the Roman camp in San Francisco. But, that all boiled down to nothing since they were visiting Camp Half-Blood this week.

You also learned that Percy had _really_ been betting on you saying yes to his proposal because when you turned the corner around the Hecate cabin and entered a clearing, a small group of people were sitting and idly chatting. It didn’t surprise you that Leo was one of the people here. If you had to take a guess- you’d probably say that the people here were the ones Percy and Leo fought with to save the world. And, just like Percy, they were all normal looking demigods.

“Percy!” A tall blonde boy called, waving the two of you over. 

“Jason!” Percy called back. They did a little fist bump and sat down, leaving a space next to Percy for you. “Everyone, meet Y/n, my sister.” Polite hellos echoed throughout the group, except for Leo, whose pick you were able to pick out from the crowd. His greeting was more so along the lines of “hey y/n, long time no see, ahah.”

“Okay, Y/n, this is Hazel, Daughter of Pluto.” Percy gestured to a smaller girl with dark, tightly curled hair. She was wearing a purple shirt that said _SPQR_ on it, just like a couple of the people here. Hazel gave you a polite wave and a soft smile. 

“Next to her is Frank, Son of Mars.” Like Hazel, he too dawned a purple _SPQR_ shirt. He was way taller than Hazel in comparison, and had a short buzz cut. You noticed a tattoo on his arm, which looked cool. You made a mental note to yourself to ask him about it later. 

You also didn’t recognize any of the gods Percy was mentioning- which really didn’t mean much considering you still were having a hard time remembering each one. But, putting two and two together, you made a guess that they were roman. They had purple shirts and funky god names- it only made sense. 

“Then there's Jason, Son of Jupiter.” he had short blonde hair and a peculiar scar on his lip. And, just like the two people before him, he wore a purple _SPQR_ shirt. 

“Sitting next to him is Piper, Daughter of Aphrodite.” She had an orange _Camp Half-Blood_ shirt on and had her hair loose except for a messy braid. You also recognized her as the counselor of the Aphrodite Cabin. 

“Next to Piper is Annabeth, Daughter of Athena.” Annabeth had her curly, blonde hair in a low ponytail. 

“And next to _her_ is Leo, Son of Hephaestus,” Leo gave you a cheesy grin and wink. You sighed and put a hand to your forehead. Piper let out a small laugh.

“Do you two know each other already?” she asked. Jason had a small grin on his face, but you couldn’t really place why. 

“You could say that, yeah.” 

“Why did you say ‘you could say that’? We literally _know_ each other.” Leo protested. You made a frustrated, exasperated sigh. 

“Oh, she’s already fed up with Leo. She’ll fit right in.” Piper quipped. 

“Aw, Pipes, c’mon!” He whined

“He probably talked her ears off…” Frank added. Hazel turned towards him and nudged his shoulder.

“Hey, don’t say that. It’s probably true, but…” She looked torn between the words she was saying and how she actually felt. 

“What did I do to deserve this…?” Leo’s face sunk and Jason gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. Everyone here seemed to know each other so well, which made you feel like an outcast. 

“Are we going to gloss over the fact that Percy used _titles?_ ” Annabeth asked, genuinely smiling for the first time since you met her. 

“Yeah!” Leo added, eager for the attention to be off of him and focused on _anyone_ else. Next to you, Percy stiffened. He had been caught in something, but you weren’t sure what. 

“It just seemed like a good way to introduce everyone…” Annabeth sat up, stretched, then walked over to Percy. 

“And you were right, Seaweed Brain. It’s still funny, though.” She planted a quick kiss on his cheek, then turned and waved at everyone, “I have to go check in on the cabin. See you all tomorrow.” Everyone else waved back, and you bid her goodbye. Clearly those two were dating, and all things considered, they seemed cute together. 

The rest of the night was filled with laughter. You felt left out and out of place at first, but everyone did their best to try and make you feel included. Soon enough, you were taking part in whatever discussion was going on. 

Jason looked up at the sky. “Isn’t curfew going to be soon?” 

“There’s curfew?” You asked, dumbfounded. 

“Yeah, there is. How long _have_ you been here for?” You felt your cheeks flush. Was one week long enough to mean that you should’ve known there was a curfew? 

“...A week.” Everyone stared at you. “I’ve just been going inside when it’s gotten dark! And, also just staying inside. But still!” 

“Okay. Tomorrow we’re spending the whole day outside.” Percy plainly declared. “And, yeah, curfews soon. We should probably head back. Don’t want to get eaten.” Percy stood up, and you mirrored him. 

“Night, everyone. And thanks for being so cool.” They all wished you goodnight. As you and Percy walked away, behind you Piper nudged Leo, much to his discomfort. A roar of laughter erupted. For what, you didn’t know. 

“Am I gonna get a cool nickname too?” You asked in reference to the Seaweed Brain thing.

“If you’re anything like me, you will.”


	9. You Pay a Visit to the Pegasi

_ The weird dream had come back, this time twice as funky. _

_ You found yourself sitting in a meadow filled with wild grasses and flowers, which you could’ve sworn you had seen in Grover’s flower patch. The breeze was just cool enough to keep the warm summer day from becoming too hot. The air faintly smelled of sea salt and the sky had a shimmer you couldn’t quite describe. Based on first impressions, you couldn’t have seen how this dream could have gone bad, or even been bad to begin with.  _

_ This dream you could move in whatever way you wanted. So you decided to stand up, stretch, and explore. It was a beautiful day, and you felt like it’d be a shame to let that go to waste. The only sound was the sound of your feet hitting the dirt and the waves hitting land somewhere far, far away. In front of you, an orange monarch butterfly hovered before you. Almost as if it was greeting you, it looked at you, stayed relatively still, then carried on its merry little way. You wished for nothing but great things to come that butterflies way. _

_ “Hello,” a voice said, “it’s been some time, hasn’t it?” You stopped walking and tried to place the voice. You could’ve sworn you heard it before. Then, it hit you. This was the voice from that dream- the one you had your first night of camp. Instantly, your heart started beating faster as you became slightly panicked. At least this time you weren’t cold, and you could see things. Being in a meadow topped being in an indescribable void any day.  _

_ “You’ve found  _ _ a _ _ warmth, Y/n,” the voice chided, “but it wasn’t the one I asked you to find.” You furrowed your brows. I? That must have meant there was only one person behind these terrifying dreams. That was one mystery solved, even if it kind of meant nothing. At least that's how you saw it. _

_ “W-who are you?” You asked, trying to be brave. It was then and there you decided that these dreams sucked big time. A burst of wind blew past you. _

_ “That I cannot say.” Trying to be discrete, you attempted to figure out where the voice was coming from. It seemed to fill the dream from every angle- but you reasoned with yourself that there had to be a source. So, you stumbled along, walking nowhere but everywhere at the same time.  _

_ “Your search is admirable, but your efforts are for not.” Your foot hit a rock. Hesitantly, you picked it up and turned it over. On the back it said something in Ancient Greek- either “teddy bear” or “run”, and you weren’t sure which one it was.  _

_ “What’s this rock all aboOOUUUT?” In the blink of an instant, you were falling. The ground from underneath you fell in on itself, creating a sharp drop that made your stomach feel like it was about to explode. It was like your soul was being ripped apart from your body. As you fell, the light from the meadow above faded far, far away. _

_ “Find the warmth.” The voice commanded, again. What did it think you were doing- not looking for it? The voice hadn’t even given you a description of what the warmth was, or even pushed you in the right direction. If anything, you guessed this voice was just as lost as you. The wind brushed past your face as you flailed about, trying to do anything to stop falling. You didn’t have any control over what was going on- you were forced to keep falling and falling. _

_ “The sea does not like to be restrained, does it?” A deeper, more masculine voice cooed. Suddenly- you stopped, and hovered mid-air. You couldn’t move anything. It was like there was a firm, but soft, forcefield separating you from the never-ending abyss below. Your hair floated as you stayed suspended. The voice laughed at your attempts to free yourself, each one proving to be more useless than the next.  _

_ “You think you have found a home, but look before you,” A small cascade of light shimmered, then poofed in front of you, creating a window to somewhere in camp. You looked-not like you had a choice- at the scene in front of you. Percy was standing in a small room with Chiron. The only source of light was a small candle. It was sparsely decorated with a couple of old maps and paintings hung on the wall, a small desk, and a rug on the ground.  _

_ “How did she stay safe all of this time?” Percy asked the centaur. “I was only 12 when things started going haywire-and she’s. Wait, how old is she?” Chiron had the worm face of someone who had seen too many lost battles. He sighed and adjusted something on his desk that was just out of view. _

_ “According to Grover, she’s 16. Apparently she was hard to track down, despite her scent being so strong.” _

_ “So she’s a year younger than me? Huh..” Percy sat down. “That’s crazy. I mean that’s...that's only one year after I was born. He would have broken the oath and…” His eyes trailed off.  _

_ “The gods are mysterious. We will never know how or why Y/n came to be, Percy.” Chiron put a comforting hand on Percy’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t jump to any hasty conclusions.”  _

_ “Blaaaaah.” Percy groaned. “It’s just..you know?” Chiron nodded and something passed between the two. They were talking about you. It hurt seeing what was unfolding before you. For starters, your half-brother, who you had just met today, was having some turmoil over your existence. Then, Chiron had known about you for a while, which made you feel weird. Maybe they did that for every camper- but something told you that wasn’t the case.  _

_ “You should go to bed, it’s late. Y/n is going to need some help getting acclimated to her parentage.” Your brother nodded and stood up to leave. He stood in the doorframe and turned around to face Chiron one last time. _

_ “It’s not that I d-” _

_ And then the portal closed. _

_ “Hey!” You protested, trying to somehow rip the portal back into existence. Percy was about to say something, something about how he "d-". You really would've liked to see how that sentence panned out. Instead, you were stuck with a quickly-growing sadness. _

_ “That’s enough. Know where loyalties lie.” With a piercing snap, you were sent into freefall again, this time. It felt like you had been falling forever when you felt something on your shoulder. Then sensation grew more vivid until- _

“Y/n, wake up! We have the showers first.” Percy yelled, shaking your arm as you bolted upright in your bed. You were breathing heavily and sweat was dripping down your face. You started to frantically touch the bedding around you to make sure you weren’t falling anymore. 

“Whoa! Hey, are you alright? You’re in Cabin Three at camp.”

“Y-yeah. No, I’m okay.” You told yourself more than anyone. “Just a bad dream.” Percy looked like he wanted to say something more, but he didn’t.  _ It’s probably because of whatever he and Chiron were talking about _ you thought. Trying to change the subject (and lighten the mood) you added, “So what's so special about having the showers first?” You’d always gotten showers somewhere in the middle of the lineup during your time in Cabin Eleven. 

“First showers means the floors aren’t disgusting. The waters guaranteed to be hot. You also don’t have to look around for a clean towel.” 

“Oh, that sounds great, actually. Mostly the towel part.” Percy laughed. For a second you forgot about the troubling stuff you saw during your dream and almost convinced yourself it wasn’t as real as it felt. But, that only lasted so long. Percy opened the cabin’s doors and waited for you to follow him,

“I’m kind of used to being the only one here so, uh, after showers maybe we could talk about when you wanna do stuff like training?” He mentions as you walk. “And also, I was thinking I could try and teach you the ropes of being Poseidon's kid.” You halfheartedly nod. 

“Sure, sounds like fun.”

You had to admit- having first showers was nice. Since it was just you and Percy, you had the entire girls bathroom to yourself. You could pick whichever shower you wanted. Hairdryers were endless in supply. You never knew the camp towels could be so fluffy and not... crusty. 

Percy was standing outside by the time you had brushed through the rats nest you called your hair. The h/c strands were still relatively wet from the showers, so you were surprised to find Percy in the opposite state. He was just as dry as he had been walking into the showers. 

“How?” You deadpanned, grabbing a small strand of hair, pointing to it, then looking at him. 

“It’s a Poseidon thing.” He replied, pulling a small pouch out of his pocket. 

“Well, why didn't the Poseidon thing happen to  _ me _ ?”

“You have to think about it.” Percy shrugs and waves for you to follow him.

“So the entire time you were showering you were thinking about staying dry?” The two of you round a corner and start to approach the stables. Not a lot of people were up yet, so the sounds of pegasi were audible from much farther away then they should have. 

“No! I only thought about it for a second at most.” 

“You just think ‘I want to stay dry’, and then you do?” You had reached the stables now- and  _ boy _ did it stink.

“Pretty much.” Percy opened up the pouch and tossed a sugar cube into one Pegasus’ mouth. It had a startling, jet-black coat and wings. “What’s up, Blackjack?”

_ Eyo, boss  _ A voice said in your mind. 

“What?” You asked, looking around. The only two people here were you and Percy. Also- who would call you “boss”?   


“Lesson one of the day!” Percy announced, “Our dad sort of invented horses, so we can communicate with them. Pegasus, also, count.” He pet the Pegasus in front of you, “This is Blackjack. Blackjack, this is my sister.”

_ Wassup? If you’re the sister of my main man Percy, then all rides are on the house!  _ Blackjack declares, letting out a huff of pride. 

“H-hello..Blackjack.” You stutter out, warming up to the idea.

_ Hey-is that Poseidon’s kid?  _ A new voice asks. Soon enough, you and Percy were surrounded by pegasi all talking and asking you a bunch of questions like “ _ Do you have sugar cubes? _ ”, “ _ Will you help the hippocampi too? _ ”, and “ _ Pet me? _ ”

“Whoa guys, calm down.” They all listen to Percy and take a couple of steps back. “Sugar cubes for everyone if you all stay quiet.” 

_ Even me?  _ Blackjack asks, ignoring the precedent set by your brother. Percy gives the pegasus a look.  _ I’m kidding, I’m kidding.  _

“Anyways..every morning I usually come here and take care of them just because I’m the guy best suited for the job.” Percy takes out a brush and tosses it to you. He grabs a brush for himself and starts taking care of their coats of fur. “Plus, you get brownie points with the other cabins. Not a lot of people are keen on dealing with the guys.” You nod and start to help. The job doesn’t take long, and soon enough the entire stables worth of pegasi had been taken care of. Like Percy promised, he starts giving sugar cubes out.

_ Oh- that’s the stuff!  _ One of the pegasi declares with a little too much enthusiasm for your liking. 

“Are you... addicted?” You ask cutting right to the chase. Gods- was that even a thing a pegasus could- Actually, no. You weren't going to have this internal discussion with yourself today. 

_ No, I can stop whenever I want.  _ The pegasus says as it tries to nap another cube off of Percy to no avail.  _ I just choose not to.  _

“It’s time for lesson number..the rest of them. To the lake!” Percy spins on his heels with shooking speed and marches off towards the beach you had found yourself at the night before. You wished you had known you were coming here because you would’ve asked Leo for Deena. He probably would’ve had her fixed by now, and Deena would’ve enjoyed the morning’s cool waters. Plus, something told you Percy would've been a bit fan of the creation. 

“Alright, water. This is my element...apparently.” You dip a finger in the water to test out its temperature. It was a little warmer than it was last night, but not by much. If only it was later and the sun was up for longer. Next to you, Percy took one step after another into the water until he was waist-deep. He looked back at you, who was still standing on the sandy beach.

“There’s only one way to figure this stuff out: by diving right in.” He called back. 

“Did you just make a swimming pun?” You could not believe this guy. Right now he seemed so lighthearted and chill, but he had stopped multiple wars and also  _ might _ have not liked you being related to him (that part was confusing and something your brain couldn’t stop reminding you of every odd minute.) How could your brother have two vastly, contrasting sides?

“Maybe.” Out of the blue, he falls on his back and into the water behind him, sinking away into the murky blueness below. 


	10. Thai Tea and Forestry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where's a waterbending scroll when you need it? You sure would like to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lowkey got busy yesterday- so sorry that this is a day late. But, we back at it now :D
> 
> -disc

The two of you had been going at this Poseidon-stuff for hours now. It started off with staying dry and getting used to breathing underwater. Then, he taught you how to propel yourself through the water. He could speed through the sea like it was nothing. You, on the other hand, had some trouble. You kept trying to swim when (according to Percy) the better way to go about it was to  _ will _ the currents to carry you wherever you wanted. So, when you tried to keep up with Percy, you were much slower and much less graceful then he was. But, all things considered, you were doing a decent job so far.

Now you were focusing on the “controlling water” portion of things. It had been a solid 30 minutes and you had yet to make a single wave. Throughout that time Annabeth, Leo, and Piper had made themselves comfortable on the beach, shouting “words of encouragement” while you tried to figure things out. If anything, it was just another distraction added to the pile of things your mind was thinking about. 

“So I’m supposed to feel something in my gut?” You asked Percy. He had told you this when you first started trying to part the sea, but you asked again because clarification was probably good for something like this. 

He nods. “Try imagining the sea and the way the waves move. Then, take that feeling and tell it to hit that rock.” Percy points to the target in question. That had been the goal- to hit the rock. It would have been dry if he hadn’t struck it with a wave early for demonstrative purposes. 

_ Yeah, the sea. What’s up sea?  _ You think trying to get in that headspace. The sea was always moving. Water could be frozen, it can turn to gas, or it can spill on your floor and make a mess of things. The sea was water filled with life. 

You closed your eyes and tried to focus on those thoughts.  _ The rock is going to die _ , you repeated to yourself. You imagined the water around you forming into one big blob of death. 

_ Hey, remember earlier how a creepy voice had opened a window into The Big House and showed you how the closest thing you’ve ever had to family was having a crisis over your very existence? _

Damnit.

You almost had it, but then your brain had to go and screw things up. You let out a scream of frustration. It was uncharacteristic of you, but you felt better afterward.

“You almost had it!” Piper called from the shore, giving you a thumbs up. You knew she was telling the truth, which was a relief because a part of you wanted to believe whatever she said. It was like a reassuring echo of your own thoughts.

“Yeah, I know.” You replied, probably a little more angrily than you would have liked. 

“Do you wanna take a break?” Annabeth asked as if Percy wasn’t there.

“Annabeth I can ask her if she wants to take a break!” He yells back. “Y/n, do you want to take a break?” 

“Percy,” Leo complains, “Annabeth  _ said _ it better. Your delivery didn’t have as much gusto.” The son of Hephaestus shakes his head in disappointment.    


“Are you really judging which of the two of them asked if Y/n wanted a break better?” Piper smirked and raised an eyebrow at him.

“No, I’m about to deliver a moving speech-of COURSE that’s what I’m doing.” The insanity of it all brings a small smile to your face, but that quickly fades. 

“Maybe a break would be good.” You manage to get out over the chaos of everything. Suddenly you noticed how tired your body was. It wasn’t like your muscles were sore, but you really wanted to lay down and do  _ nothing _ for a while. 

“Cool. I actually have to go Iris-Message my mom anyways. Meet back here at sundown?” Percy asks and you frown.  _ He probably wants to break the news to his mom. _ You think to yourself. One of the coolest days of your life was turning out to be really peachy, wasn’t it?

It was about noon now, so you’d have plenty of time to do other things. Apparently today was Cabin Three’s day off, so to speak. The only thing you and Percy were committed to doing was getting rid of the battle dummies that had been broken during training. You made your way out of the water. Earlier in the day you and Percy had been farther out, but for the whole “wave-making” thing, you both agreed staying waist-deep would’ve been fine, if not better, than trying to do everything underwater. 

“I’m sure you’ll get it tonight.” Annabeth tells you. She looks confident in you, which should’ve lifted your spirits, but it didn’t. Heck- she’s even seen Percy try and figure this stuff out, so if anyone (besides Percy) was going to be qualified to tell you  _ when _ you’d figure everything out, it was her. 

“Yeah, thanks.” You responded dismissively, waving her off. Honestly, the last thing you wanted to do was get your hopes up again. Maybe you’d go and sit by yourself for a while or grab a goblet and fill it up with whatever. Tea might work- maybe a Thai tea. A Thai tea to drown your sorrows in. 

You eventually found your way back to camp, snaking your way over to the snack bar and grabbing a glass. It instantly filled itself with an orange liquid that you could only assume was Thai tea. You tentatively brought it to your lips. Although it was a little warm and sweet for your liking, it was Thai tea. You couldn't get too picky, you decided. Besides, in order to try and “fix” the Thai tea, you’d have to dump the whole glass and will it to refill itself. That just seemed like a waste. 

Like a lost dog, you carried yourself, and the glass, over to a clearing inside of the forest. If you listened hard enough you could hear the sounds of monsters walking around. So, you didn’t do that. Instead, you tried to focus on the sound of the wind, or something calming like that. Anything to get your mind off of all the annoying sibling related thoughts you were having. Gods, you probably looked so pathetic right now, all slumped up against a tree like you were with a drink in hand. At least nobody would try to bother you. It looked like you were having a moment (which you were.) Someone would have to be an idiot to walk up to you. 

“Y/n?” A voice called.  _ Great- an idiot.  _ You thought. Curse you for jinxing yourself. Or, maybe not. Things like curses seemed a lot more powerful ever since you arrived at Camp Half-Blood. 

You didn’t respond to the voice. You actually sunk into yourself, hoping that somehow would make you harder to find. It was kind of like when you would try to skip out of bonding activities at the various orphanages you’ve been to. Just stay in one place, don’t make any noise, and pretend you’re invisible. It only delayed the inevitable then- but there's a first for everything. As you thought about becoming invisible, you heard a loud  _ thump  _ from not too far away. 

“That’s a branch.” The voice winced. As they got closer, the breaking of branches that you thought were monsters actually turned out to be a person. They were zeroing in on your location. Sometimes you'd think you got lucky as the footsteps grew quieter, but they'd only return a few minutes later louder than before. 

It was around the third declaration of pain that you determined the voice was Leo’s. This time around he has stepped into a hole (how big it was, you didn’t know.) Of course, he was the one looking for you- who else would spend an obscene amount of time getting lost in the woods looking for you? You were a little disappointed that you didn't figure this out sooner. 

Even if it was Leo who was looking for you, you still didn’t want to be found. As he yelled “Will literally saw you come here. I know you’re here.” Leo yelled, sounding kind of tired.  _ Good, give up and leave. I want to enjoy my Thai tea in peace.  _ “I’m gonna keep tripping over trees until I trip over the right one and find you.”  _ Damnit. _ You were almost tempted to yell out something and give up your location, but the tea was too tasty. Every time you found yourself about to open your mouth, the sweet taste of hot leaf juice and condensed milk passed over your tongue. It was too tempting. 

Eventually, and much to your distaste, Leo found you. He had  _ almost  _ turned in the wrong direction, but of course, the universe hated you. The moment he was about to start walking away, you had the strongest, most unavoidable urge to sneeze. The loud  _ achow! _ that followed probably even let Chiron back in The Big House know exactly where you were. 

“Thanks for the help.” He grumbled, pulling a small branch out of his curly hair. In response you said nothing and took a sip of your tea, staring at him dead on. “Okay, that's fine.” Leo threw his hands up in the air as a sign of defeat and walked over to sit next to you. “I can work with nothing. I’ve done it before.” You turned your head and looked at him. He was sitting a little ways away from you- about an elbows length if you had to measure. Leo was looking at you with a small smile on his face, his curly hair framing his features so that he looked extra-impish in the forest light. His face was kind of scrunched up against the tree too, since he was leaning on it. All in all, he looked like an idiot. 

“Hey.” Was all he said the moment he realized you were looking at him, his smile staying constant throughout. 

You took another sip of the Thai tea, “Hey.”

“So, do you wanna talk about why you look like Pollux right now or..?” Leo nodded as best he could towards your glass, which at this point had gotten scarily close to being empty. You cracked a small, somber smile and shrugged. 

“I don’t know, Leo.” It was a lot, and all the two of you had been doing these past few times you’ve run into each other has been having these heart-to-hearts. Even though you really wanted to let the floodgates open, you didn't want to keep info-dumping the guy. “I kinda just wanna keep drinking my tea.” You took another sip, but no tea came. You furrowed your eyebrows in disappointment and set the cup on the ground.

“Is it empty?” 

“Yeah..” You lean back on the tree and look up at the sky. If you were alone, you might’ve fallen asleep like this. The sun was warm and practically inviting you to take a nap. The buzzing of the bugs didn’t help either.

“You almost had it the last time.” 

“Nah, I didn’t. There was no “gut tugging” or whatever Percy said there was supposed to be. I can’t focus today, my minds just,” you made an explosion noise and fanned your hands out, “anywhere but here.”

“Well, where is it?” Leo asked softly. There was no point in delaying the inevitable, so you laid it all on him. 

“So I had this weird dream last night. And I mean  _ weird.”  _ You started. Leo nodded along while he bent and fiddled with pipe cleaners he would pull out of his toolbelt from time to time. “At some point in the dream, after I had fallen into a hole and fell for what felt like hours, this strange window to The Big House opens up. Inside it’s Percy and Chiron talking about  _ me _ of all people. It’s a dream, so I really shouldn’t worry about it, but it all felt so real.” You shifted in your seat, getting more comfortable even though the more you talked the more uncomfortable you felt.

“The two of them talk for a little bit, and eventually Percy talks about..” you trail off for a second, not really wanting to say this part out loud. But, you had a captive audience that would force it out of you anyway. “He was talking about how he felt weird that I was around and it meant something about his mom and..” That's when you connected the dots. “Oh.” Your voice dropped and you suddenly felt very, very small.

You were an  _ idiot.  _ Percy was around your age- you knew that much for sure. But, you had completely disregarded what that actually meant. Poseidon, your dad, had gotten with two women in short spans of time. Clearly that had struck a chord with Percy. Instead of feeling mad or a little resentful at your brother's actions, now you were mad at yourself for something that was out of your control. It was like all the funky thoughts you were having earlier just shifted onto something completely different to think about.

“Wow, I’m dumb.” You said, letting out a small, sad laugh. You brought your knees closer to your chest. It felt better to be curled up than spread out right now. 


	11. Just Call Him Percy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The camp's operative Repair Boy finally finds you and your Thai tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Leo POV Chapter!
> 
> School is starting soon and I'll be getting busy with that. I'll do my best to keep up with writing the chapters. Even if an update is a day or two late, don't worry. I really want to finish this story. 
> 
> -disc

Leo wanted to say that he had a plan when he walked into the forest. He would’ve loved to tell you that by the time he found Y/n drinking her tea like there was no tomorrow he knew exactly what to say. That wasn’t the case- and why would it have been? He didn’t consider himself the best people-person, but by gods would it have been nice to have  _ a thought _ . 

Y/n was talking about her dream, and how Percy felt weird about her, and stuff like that by the time Leo kind of knew what to say. Percy had talked to Leo about his mom before. Sometimes the two of them hung out-just two dudes chilling. He would have never guessed that's how it would’ve been, but life was crazy like that sometimes. Karaoke nights really bring people together.

\----------

_ Leo had been getting ready to go back to Cabin Nine when Percy approached him. The campfire had just ended, the flames still burning bright because of the few Apollo kids who wanted to sing the entirety of Beetlejuice before the night was over.  _

_ “Hey Leo.” Percy called out. “Can I ask you a quick question?”  _

_ “Yeah, man.” He responded, jogging over to where his friend stood. Percy looked nervous for a guy whose confidence was normally through the roof. That was a little concerning- but what kind of a friend would he be if shied away when his friend looked out of his element? _

_ “Is Calyspo...is she really here?” Percy’s voice was quiet and he looked like he was thinking about something Leo couldn’t put his finger on. Even at the mention of her name Leo felt a small burst of happiness. Yeah, he kind of died and freaked everyone out all over Gaia’s Green Earth, but he promised he was going to get her off that island. He’d never felt like how he did about Calypso about anyone else. She was worth dying for. _

_ “She’s flying around with Festus right now, but yeah.” Leo says with a dumb smile on his face, “As soon as we landed she asked if she could go explore New York- something about Manhattan and flowers. I didn’t really get it, but she seemed excited.” That seemed to strike a chord with Percy. _

_ “Oh, huh.” Was all he said, “Why aren’t you with her?” Gods, Leo was asking the same question. He wanted to be up in the sky with her right now more than anything. _

_ “She said I owed you guys some time here. Worried that the camp had been Leo-deprived for too long, needed some spicing up.”  _

_ “That’s one way of putting it.” Percy smirks and lightly punches Leo, “Everyone else got to do it.” It wasn’t hard. Some kids really hadn’t held back when he returned, but thank the gods Percy did. “So, what smooth moves have you got planned for when she gets back?” Leo feels his face grow hot and all of a sudden he feels unprepared. He was supposed to have something planned? He didn’t know that was a thing. He had to play it smooth, though, and not let Percy onto him. Just like building a machine, once he got past the people, he could just lock himself up in a room and figure out what to do.  _

_ “Oh, do I have something planned. It’s gonna put every love ballad and romance novel to shame.” That was a complete lie, but hopefully, it was convincing.  _

_ “What- are you going to sing to her or something?” Maybe? Maybe he’d do that. Was that even a good idea? From the small smile that tugged at Percy’s lips, Leo guessed it wasn’t. And, even worse, that he had seen through his lies. _

_ “Haha, Percy. I couldn’t just tell you here, people might tip Calypso off.” He put his hand on Percy’s back and started steering him away from everyone and off to the side, “I can tell you my awesome plan over here.” And away from people, he adds in his head. They walked over to a place that was just beyond the amphitheater and campfire. It was considerably darker over here. Leo could barely see his own hands.  _

_ “You don’t have a plan, do you?” Percy said plainly. _

_ “How did you know?” He whined as he threw his hands up and into the air.  _

_ “Because if you did have something planned, you would’ve started explaining it in detail right away.”  _

_ “I-” He tries, but his voice falters. “Look, I didn’t know I was supposed to plan something. I just kind of thought we could..relax for a bit? Just hang out or something..” Leo shakes his head. Was that not enough? Percy and Annabeth were like the poster child of what a relationship should be in his mind. They literally went through, well not Hell, but the closest thing to it and back. If Percy thought he needed to do a thing, he probably needed to do a thing.  _

_ “Maybe after..I was thinking I could show her the world since she’s been trapped on Ogygia for so long. She wants to see it, and I want to be the one to show her it.” Percy nudges him. _

_ “Hey- that sounds like a fun time. But, if you really wanna wow her,” Percy pulls out the most illegal thing you could’ve brought into camp- a phone. “You have to listen to some of the most influential musicians of our time.”  _

_ “Those musicians being..?” Leo asks, being split 50/50 between taking Percy’s proposition seriously and just being something very on-brand for his friend.  _

_ “One Direction, duh. They write love songs all the time.” That was a fair point. Leo thought about Percy’s ideas for a few seconds. One Direction did have like, a lot of teenage girls following them, yelling things like ‘Sign my forehead, Zane!’ He could probably use some of that energy- not to say that he didn’t have some already.  _

_ “I have the best speakers at camp in Bunker Nine, follow me.” _

_ Leo didn’t invite a lot of people into Bunker Nine. It was his private space. His man cave, if you were feeling adventurous. So all the “Ooos” and “Aaas” that came from Percy were kind of unexpected. The vastness and overwhelmingly large piles of projects and tools had lost its awe. Scrap metal was in piles that almost hit the ceiling. If anything- he wished it was smaller. The number of times he’d forgotten about a project he was working on because it was in some weird place was disappointingly high.  _

_ “So, we’re just playing one song, right?” Leo asks as Percy hands him his phone. The speakers weren’t Bluetooth. That would be like taking the beacon that phones already made for demigods and throwing in a bunch of tasty smelling food and party music. Heck- the speakers were probably the oldest, most basic thing he had going in the bunker. It was just an audio jack hooked up to some super souped-up speakers.  _

_ “Yeah, just one song.” Percy agrees. They’d just listen to whatever was their number one hit was and brainstorm ideas from there. One Direction would be their romantic-muse.  _

_ With a simple tap of the screen “Story of My Life” started blasting. It wasn’t as bad as Leo thought it was going to be. Whenever he thought of One Direction, he thought of mind-numbing notes that would make even the brightest mechanic braindead. But, right now, it was kind of a vibe.  _

_ “Are they all like this?” Leo yells over the sounds of Harry Styles.  _

_ “Kind of,” Percy says, “this ones slower than their others, though.” Wait..no way.  _

_ “Does that mean you know what their other songs sound like Percy?” Leo teases, knowing the answer. The son of Poseidon looks at Leo. _

_ “Look-no, no that doesn’t mean I listen to One Direction. Sometimes when I’m driving around with my mom she puts the radio on. They’re played a lot, okay?” Leo laughs at Percy’s attempt to deflect this onto his mom. Maybe there was some truth to it- but even still. That would’ve implied that he paid attention enough to remember the lyrics. And that, he knew, would have to be a considerable amount. _

_ “Yeah, sure, whatever you say.” He walks over to the phone, grabs it, and slings himself up and over onto the nearest couch. “Not feeling very inspired…” Leo tapped the skip button.  _

_ He wished he was able to say those were the only two songs they listened to. What was supposed to be a short, strictly informational musical-reconnaissance turned into a night-long One Direction sing-along. They had been tearing through songs for hours now. Time was a social construct- they didn’t know if it was still night. All they knew was they had to sing along with the musical stylings of 1D. _

_ “BABY YOU LIGHT UP MY WORLD LIKE NO-BODY ELSE,” Leo yelled into his microphone(a wrench) like there was no tomorrow. Him trying to actually sing, much less hit the notes, had become a thing of the past. Leo climbed and stood on the top of the couch, causing it to tip over. He looked like a cool pirate on his way down and somehow kept his balance. “thE WAY YOU FLIP YOUR HAIR MAKES ME OVER-WHLEMED.” _

_ “BUT WHEN YOU SMILE AT THE GROUND IT AIN’T HARD TO TELL..” Percy added, using an empty can of Monster Energy as his microphone of choice. His voice wasn’t as scratchy as Leo’s, but it wasn’t something the Apollo cabin would be weeping over.  _

_ “YOU DON’T KNOW-OH-OH,” Leo scrambled over to Percy. Percy turned to Leo so they were face-to-face, even if that meant Percy was bending his knees quite a bit, “YOU DON’T KNOW YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL.” The two boys finished before breaking out into dance for the “Na na na na nas.” The music was so loud and so intoxicating. Percy had told him about how Annabeth went crazy when she heard the song of the Sirens. Leo guessed that this was how it felt to hear it.  _

_ “Oh my gods-Leo?” A woman's voice yelled over the music. Percy and Leo turned towards the very audible voice, finally realizing how sore and tired they both were. It was Annabeth, trailed by a worried-looking Calypso. This would be fun. Without a word, Percy and Leo moved in tandem. Leo walked over to the music and shut it off. Percy put their two “microphones” away. Then, they stood there next to each other, not saying a single word.  _

_ “ _ _ Please _ _ don’t tell me you stayed up all night singing One Direction.” Annabeth sighs out, her face making it clear she already knew the answer. Boy did they have a lot of explaining to do. _

\-----

From that night on the two of them made it a habit to do stupid stuff together. Percy took Leo freediving once, except it was pretty safe since Percy made a bubble around him. Leo took Percy to a really good restaurant via Festus. In between the stupid they’d learn more  _ actual _ stuff about each other. And, one of those things Leo learned happened to be was how his dad let it slip that he might have more siblings. 

He knew that Percy didn’t rule out that possibility, but rather had hoped that it just wasn’t the case. Well, it was the case now, and Y/n didn’t have to be Sherlock to put two and two together. 

Leo frowned as she curled up into herself, figuring out the whole situation on her own. He didn’t want to see Y/n sad like that- he preferred it when she was happy and smiling. Plus, it was probably better if Y/n was like that when she was trying to Poseidon-it-up. He wanted to make her laugh and smile- just because that was something he liked doing. And not just to Y/n, either. In general, that was just something he liked to do. There really was no connection between how her smile could cure anyone of anything, or anything.

There he went again. Mentally, Leo scolded himself. He had to stop thinking like that about her. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.

Quickly, he focused back on the problem at hand: family-crisis featuring Y/n. “I’ve known Percy for a while, okay? I can promise you that he isn’t  _ mad _ at you for that. Heck- he isn’t mad at you at all.” He says in the most soothing voice he can muster. 

“But you aren’t Percy, Leo.” She quietly replies. “You can say that but that doesn’t change anything. He still..he still wishes I wasn’t his sister so that he wouldn’t have to break the news to his mom, right?” He furrows his brows and props himself up and off of the tree. The sides of his face were starting to hurt, okay? He could only tolerate the sensation of leaning up against bark for so long.  
“Alright, you know what?” Leo stands up and searches the ground for a small stick. Thankfully, he quickly finds one and picks it up, holding it like a pen. He smooths his hair back as best he could and puffs it up towards the front. His hair was pretty unruly, but it got the job done enough. 

“What?” Y/n asked, her voice not as somber and soft as before. At least she looked mildly interested in what he was about to do. That was good. 

“I’m Percy Jackson,” Leo said in a mock-Percy impression (it wasn’t good. All it was was him trying his best to lower his voice.) “I’m the son of Poseidon.”

“Oh my gods this is so dumb.” Y/n sighs out, practically looking like she wished her teacup wasn’t empty, or at least filled with something stronger than tea. 

“No, no it’s not dumb,” Leo whined in his voice before realizing he already broke character. Clearing his throat he found his way back to his horrible Percy impression. “I don’t hate my sister. In fact- the only thing I’m worried about is not making Annabeth mad, because she is terrifying when she’s mad!” 

“No. I'm looking and it's dumb.” Leo sighs and looks around. Clearly he wasn’t committing to the bit enough. Grabbing a handful of leaves from the ground he got ready to deliver his next killer line.

“Look- water! That’s a thing I do!” As soon as he said  _ water _ he started throwing the leaves in front of him, adding  _ wooshing _ sounds as he did so. He thought it was dumb enough to be funny. Y/n did not. Trying one last time, he grabbed a stick. “Wow, it’s my trusty pen-sword Riptide!” Leo pretended to take the cap off of the pen and threw the stick, scrambling to find a bigger one. It took him a couple of seconds, but eventually, he found it.

“Aha! Sword, slash, slash…?” He pretended to slice at an invisible monster. Even with the Riptide joke, Y/n was not biting at any of this. “Is this not working?”

“What’s it supposed to be doing?” She asked curiously, although her voice was still not confident. But- it was louder than before. That was progress.

“You’re supposed to be laughing right now! It’s not funny, and that's what makes it funny. I’m the comedian Leo Valdez, dude. You should be weeping right now.” At that, at least, she cracked a small smile. He was the master at using comedy to beat away problems- all you had to do was keep cracking jokes. This was like the same thing, except he wasn’t the person with the problem in question.

“Maybe just get better at being funny Leo. I don’t know what else to tell you.” Y/n suggested, shrugging as her small smile grew into a smirk.  _ Just keep the momentum moving forward, Leo. _

“But my jokes are the pinnacle of funny! How can you improve on something that’s already perfect?”

“Make someone laugh, for starters.” By now Y/n wasn’t as balled up as she was before. She was actually sitting up and somewhat spread out, choosing to sit with one leg crossed over the other. Good.

“That’s not something I can change.  _ You _ have to be the one to laugh.” Leo dropped the stick and crossed his arms, shaking his head to be melodramatic and drive the point home. 

“You’re missing the point!” She says, a small laugh escaping her. As soon as she realized what had happened, her muscles tensed and she looked at him.

_ Victory was his. _   


“HAH!” Leo proclaims while pointing at Y/n, “You laughed!”   


“That does  _ not _ count-”

“Oh, but it does. It really, really does.” By now Leo was doing a little victory dance to up the ante of everything. He was even laughing a little, too. Guess it was infectious. 

“Oh my  _ gods _ you’re dancing? I wasn’t laughing at your joke. Please stop dancing.” 

“Sometimes,” he stops dancing and squats on his knees, residing a mere few feet away from Y/n, “a comedian's joke is not in what he says, but rather, what he  _ means _ .” Did Leo have any remote idea of what that sentence meant? Nope. Hopefully, it made sense to Y/n. 

“Wh-what?” Y/n looks at him with a confused smile. “Leo, you are an interesting dude.” Is her conclusion to his entire thing. Being called  _ interesting _ could always be good or bad. It was like a double-edged sword. In his case, he hoped it was good. Figuring that the time for antics had passed, he rolled next to her, sitting down underneath the tree. He got why Y/n had picked this spot- it was nice. The leaves blocked the sun, but let in just enough of it for a guy to feel warm.

“I’m taking that as a compliment.” Leo declares. A comfortable silence falls over the two of them. The breeze rustled the branches which made a calming, forest ambiance. Leo nor Y/n spoke, but they enjoyed each other's presence. The sun shined through the forestry, and it couldn’t have been a calmer atmosphere. Comedy was the solution to most things, and Leo lived by that. If what had just happened wasn't proof of it, he wasn't sure what was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this entire should really just be renamed "Leo reflects on his friendship with Percy and proceeds to try and get someone to laugh with incredible persistence." Also, some fun background story building that I had a great time figuring out. Gonna dive into that stuff later- it'll be f u n. Leave your guesses in the comments as to what I'm referring to lmao. 
> 
> Hint: it is the Reason for the Angst tag :D
> 
> On that cheery note, see you all next week!
> 
> -disc


	12. Spiteful Twings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Leo bask in the forest light before heading back to the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so people were freaking out about my spooky angst comment last chapter and 1.) you should be afraid but 2.) it's not for awhile so you have time :D

The silence surrounding you and Leo only lasted about, to your best guess, was 30 seconds. You didn’t completely mind it, but you could tell Leo was fighting every urge to say something. Although he eventually said something, you were proud of him for holding off for as long as he did. As the time ticked by you could see him slowly get more antsy. It started with him tapping his foot. Leo tried to be lowkey about it, he really did. But, it was kind of obvious when the only noise was the wind. He eventually progressed to twisting pieces of grass into something that looked similar to a helicopter blade before he finally broke and spoke up. 

“Really. Percy likes you.” He says, “I haven’t seen the guy as excited to see someone since the last time him and Annabeth were apart for, gods what was it, a week?” Leo laughs, letting a small smile grace his lips, “Yeah, it was totally a week.” You didn’t know what he was thinking about, but it seemed like there was a whole story behind it. Everything he was saying seemed genuine- not that the stuff he was spouting before didn't. It's just that now, instead of then, it felt like you two just talking. Before when Leo was putting on an act and trying to cheer you up, you felt like he was just trying to be a nice guy. You appreciated the sentiment- but the words coming out of his mouth didn't matter if they weren't true, right? Now, however, they seemed to hold more truth. Leo was just telling you what was what. There wasn't any forced compliments or lies. Just two people talking.

“You think so?” Your voice felt more confident than it did before- no nowhere near as strong as it usually did. You still felt sad, and a little mad. Those feelings weren't going to go away in an instant. That's never how it worked. Emotions were annoying like that. Always changing- or sticking around- at the most  _ inconvenient  _ of times. 

“I know so. I think he's excited to finally have another person to navigate this crazy half-blood world. Someone he gets to call sis.” 

“That’s...nice to hear.” You admit, finally feeling not at war with yourself for once in the past day. Eventually you’d bring it up to Percy- but Leo knew your brother better than you did. His words went a long, long way with you. Silence fell again. This time you tried counting the seconds just see how long it'd last. It was like a fun game for you and you alone.  _ One, two, three, fo- _

“So, do you wanna go try and waterbend again?” You let out an overdramatic sigh and picked up the cup that used to hold Thai tea.  _ We’d almost gotten to four seconds _ you think to yourself, almost feeling silly for assuming the silence would last any longer. 

“Yeah, sure, why not? It's always sundown somewhere.” It had only been by your best guess a half an hour since your last training session had ended. That landed you a little before the agreed-upon time Percy said he'd be back in the water. Realistically, though, the guy had told you any and everything you could've ever wanted to know about using your powers. At this point, him showing up again was just a formality. 

You and Leo stood up and started making your way back out of the forest. The leaves crunched beneath your feet as you searched for camp through the shrubbery. 

“Ah, gods not the stupid-”  _ Thwack _ . Despite his best efforts, Leo was hit square in the face with a branch. It came at him with such a force and accuracy that you wondered if he upset that Nymph. Seriously-the branch came at him with  _ malice.  _

“You okay?” You asked between small giggles. The branch wound up tangled in his curly hair. His face was scrunched up as he spit out leaves and tried to untangle the mess he found himself in. 

“I’m fine. Just gotta-mmMm.” Somehow he made it worse. Leo looked like he was biting back some choice words as the small twigs and branches got more trapped in his hair. For being a guy who's whole thing was mechanics and being good with his hands, the dude wasn't doing a good job of untangling himself. He was tugging and trying to remove the branch by pure force, but each tug made everything worse. 

His unruly hair getting the better of him, you decided to take pity. Stepping in front of him you started to slowly untangle the mess. 

“It’s like a bird's nest here, jeez Leo.” You mused, most of your attention focused on undoing the mess he had created. You were pretty good and detangling hair thanks to all the time you spent on the run. Most of the time you didn't have a hairbrush on hand. You discovered fingers made excellent substitutes. 

It took you two, maybe three, minutes to finally get down to the last knot. You felt bad for poor Leo who was protesting your help the entire time-saying stuff like he  _ totally _ had it. You replied that he didn’t. 

In order to free Leo from his forestry confines, you had to get pretty close to him. You could feel his body heat-like,  _ literally _ . You weren’t sure if you had been spending too much time in the sun, but it was actually just  _ hotter _ standing by the guy. As you worked, this question bothered you more and more to the point you decided  _ Screw it- I’m figuring this out. _ And, the logical way to go about that (in the most low-key way you could think of) was to brush a little bit of his hair out of his face. 

That was your first mistake. 

You were planning on playing it off as a friendly gesture. Something like  _ “Yeah- that looked annoying. Sorry if it was weird or anything.” _ But, everything spiraled out of control so fast. You almost had the branch untangled. He was so close to being free, but this one patch of the knot decided to be particularly unruly. You had to lean in and squint to see what was going on.

It was at that moment you (of course) decided to pull the “move the hair” play and see if you were just overheating or Leo was secretly a radiator. You also did, in a roundabout way, need to move a small piece of hair out of his face anyway. It was a stretch to consider the action necessary- but you did. Unlooping the last part of hair from the branch, it was time. Carefully you used your hand to sweep away some of his bangs. It was definitely way warmer the closer you got to him. Seconds ago you were joking about Leo being a heater- but the guy might _actually_ be one. That's when your mouth betrayed you. 

“Wow, you’re hot.” You said before you could even think about the words coming out. “Wait, no I-”

“-really you d-what?” Leo asked, completely halting his protests the minute you made your mistake. “Did you just call me hot?” You glanced at his face and of _ course,  _ he had a shit-eating grin plastered onto it. Great, just great. This was exactly what you wanted to deal with: a cocky Valdez. 

“No-well-maybe, but I didn’t mean it in the way you are CLEARLY taking I-” You took a step back, “Leo, loo-”

“Oh so you  _ DID _ call me hot.” His grin only grows wider by the second. This was it. You messed up big time.

“This is just going in one ear and out the other isn’t it?” 

“Yup.” Leo takes a step back, still grinning, “So, what, are we gonna kiss now?” It’s clear that he’s kidding from the tone of his voice. He’s way up in himself right now. Still, you smile. If Leo was going to tease you relentlessly, why not tease him back? He had to have a breaking point, you were sure of it. Even though you had a singular idea as to how to  _ try _ and break Leo, and even that idea was all you had, you were determined to try it regardless. 

You walked forward, quickly closing the distance between you two. Actually, now that you thought about it, you were basically this close when you were getting the branch out of his hair.  _ Huh. _

“I mean,” you start, trying to not completely lose it and keep your voice even, “do you wanna?”  _ Come on Leo, you cocky jerk, break. You can’t possibly keep this up. _   


Bingo.

“Uh-” Leo starts to stutter out, his grin fading. Suddenly he isn’t as confident as he was just a second ago. Eventually, his voice falters, and he doesn’t know what else to say. You  _ got _ him. 

“Kidding. I’m kidding.” You chide, hoping that would bring Leo back. You just wanted a moment of satisfaction. You had gotten it- his confused face had been proof of that. Now, you could rest easy.    


“Oh? Right, duh.” He gets out finally being able to say something other than  _ Uh _ . “I knew that.”

“You didn’t.” You gesture for him to follow you as you make your way to the beach. Hopefully, the walk wasn’t that long. You didn’t want to risk Leo getting attacked by another tree branch. In all honesty, you weren’t sure you had the patience or attention span to untangle his hair again. Leo stumbles after you, eventually catching up. “You had it coming Mr. ‘You Called Me Hot’.” 

“But you did call me that.” He retorts cheekily. You let out a frustrated groan.

“I did because you were  _ literally _ hot. I mean- I don’t know if it was the sun or something, but your skin was seething. Just by stepping closer I could feel the temperature difference.” You glance at Leo to see if this means anything to him. He remains as unbothered as ever, some of his curls bouncing as he walks.

“Oh, yeah. That happens sometimes.” His voice is completely neutral. You had to hold back a confused cough.

“Excuse me, it  _ what? _ ” 

“Look,” Leo holds out his hand in front of you. Almost instantly a small fire forms in the palm of his hands. It dances across his fingertips harmlessly, as if it wasn’t a fire in the middle of a forest. “I can make fire. It’s kinda my thing.” You pull your hands away from the flame. The fire? Not something you were expecting. 

“That’s from your dad, I’m gonna guess?” He nods, noticing your reaction to the sudden flame and quickly gets rid of it by simply shaking his hand. “Cool. I’ll have to get better at remembering that kind of stuff. I’ve been here for what, awhile now, and-”

“-Ah, yes my favorite way to measure time: awhile now-.” 

“-Shut up. The point is I suck at remembering which god does what thing, okay?” Leo laughed. You had complained about this particular personal shortcoming of yours a while ago. He found it nothing but entertaining. 

“You’re gonna have to figure it out soon Y/n! Otherwise one day you’re going to go to McDonalds and a monster with one eye is gonna approach you, and you’ll just  _ sit _ there saying ‘Oh, is this bad? Is this one of those monsters?’” 

“It has one eye. I'm pretty sure I could figure that much out. I’m not  _ dumb. _ ”

“Okay, kinda a bad example, but my point still stands.” The two of you reached a clearing (finally) that led back to the beach. “Like, alright, look,” he points to a camper helping a small fern on the clearing grow, “Who is their parent?”   


“Athena..?” 

“Close. It’s Demeter, I think. 90% sure it’s Demeter.” You knew that despite the teasing, Leo didn’t really care that you had  _ no idea _ what was going on when it came to this mystical side of the world. You knew that he didn’t have the best grasp on the concepts either, but it was enough to solicit the occasional jab at your lack of understanding. You didn’t mind, though. It was clearly all in good faith, and it was fun to banter with him once in a while. There were always smiles planted on both of your faces the entire time.

And so you walked all the way down to the beach, eventually reaching the shoreline. Annabeth, Percy, and Piper were nowhere to be seen. It didn’t feel like you were in the forest long, and the walk back was pretty short, too. The three of them were probably out and about, getting a snack at the dining pavilion while they waited till they had to come back. You could probably get a couple more practice reps in with Leo’s  _ ever so encouraging _ words to motivate you. 

You took off your shoes and set them down, just a few feet away from where the water was hitting. You had a good feeling they’d stay dry, hopefully. Then you waded into the water, willing yourself to stay dry. It worked, which was a big relief. All these powers were still super, super new, so you didn’t completely trust them to work every time. 

You glanced back at Leo who gave you an encouraging double thumbs up.  _ Yeah, you had this. _ You focused on the water. Like you- the sea was restless. It moved, destroying and protecting so many creatures all at once. The sea was a force to be reckoned with- and you were going to control it.

Focusing on this feeling, you grasped onto it and didn’t let go. Poseidon, the god of the sea, was  _ your  _ dad. This was your realm in some part. Technically couldn’t you be like, the Princess of the Waters or something? No- you couldn’t think about that. Like- you totally were that title but- _ Focus. We are going to make some waves do aggressive things right now. Come on, Y/n. _

You imagined the water coming together and hitting..the rock! Right, that’s what you were using as target practice. You put all your energy into imagining the water throwing itself against the rock. Then, you felt a pull in your gut and the roar of a wave in your ear.

“YOU DID IT!” Leo yelled from the shore, “That rock is  _ dead _ .” You looked at the rock and, sure enough, it was completely drenched. The surrounding grass and sand around it was soaked. You pointed to the rock and turned to Leo.

“That was me.” You exclaimed while beaming. Finally, you made water move. It  _ finally _ happened. This was one of those rare occasions in your life when you actually did something and you were proud. Most of the time, you just did something and didn’t feel one way or the other about it. 

“That  _ was _ you!” He was almost as excited as you, or at the very least, Leo was good at matching how others felt. You felt adrenaline pumping through your veins as you ran out of the water.   


“I focused on the water and thought about hitting the rock and then it happened!” You threw your arms up, making a  _ sploosh _ noise before pumping your fist into the air.    


“Heck yeah! You showed that water whose boss. Under normal circumstances that would sound stupid  _ but _ we’ve found the exception!” Leo agrees. He was basically being your hype man by this point, and you did not mind a bit. Not a whole lot of people could make water bend to their will, after all. You were riding an all-time high out right now. Nothing could shoot you down.

Quickly, you hugged Leo, crushing the poor guy.   


“Whoa, okay, can’t breath.” He says, trying to smile as you squeezed him to death. His expression looked a little pained so you pulled away. 

“Sorry.” 

“It’s cool. You wanna tell Percy you figured it out?”

“How would we figure out where he is?” 

Leo smirked and started listing off locations, counting on his fingers as he did so. “There are only three places he could be. One, Cabin Three. Two, the dining pavilion. Three, Cabin Six.” You furrowed your brows and blinked. You were confused.

“Why would he be in Cabin Six?” You ask. Leo’s expression changes from smug to disbelief.

“Seriously?” You nod to confirm that you are, indeed, serious about this. “To suck each other's faces off! Dude, come on, were you born yesterday? Annabeth and him sneak off like every other day. That’s something you’re gonna have to look out for, by the way.”   


“Oooh. And, ew. Gods, does that mean-” Leo shakes his hand and brings his temple. 

“Okay Algae Head, I’m going to need you to just think over what you just started to say. Just run it over  _ real _ quick and get back to me if you want to explore this topic of conversation.” So, you did that and-  _ yeah _ , no, you were okay without talking about that. Not just now, but actually forever. You never needed to have answers to the questions you had. Sometimes it was better to live in blissful ignorance. 

“Oh no.” You mumbled at your realization. “Also, Algae Head?” 

“Yes Algae Head, Algae Head. Now, are we gonna go tell Percy that you can waterbend or what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when tree get stuck in hair: :(
> 
> but, yup! You finally figured out how to make the water move. Time for some fun, water-based action scenes. Eventually.  
> Also- how long do you guys want the quest to stretch? Do you prefer more of this stuff, where it's just bonding at camp, or would you rather some Character Development on the road?


	13. A Sleepless Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a hard day of training, you call it a day and head back to your cabin.

Like pretty much everyone guessed, Percy took the news really well. You willed the water in a cup to move and basically called off the night's practice. Plus- you were getting tired. Your brother explained to you that that happened when a demigod used their powers too much. Personally, it was a little disappointing that you felt like your head was going to explode after two tries. Practice was something you were going to be doing a lot of, you decided. Your goal was to be pretty good at all the water control stuff because right now you were far from that.

But, that practice wouldn’t be happening anytime soon, obviously. The rest of the night went by without a hitch. Nothing eventful happened. Percy explained to you what the schedule was. He also helped you explore camp and gave you some veteran advice. For example, never eat the baked ham from the dining pavilion. He claimed there was something up with it, and you felt better trusting him than testing your luck.

After dinner, the two of you made your way back to your cabin. The saltwater smell practically slapped you in the face as soon as you opened the doors. You scrunched up your face. It was going to be hard to get used to that. 

“So-camp.” Percy starts, “I haven’t been here to give you the intro, but how are you liking it so far?” You think for a moment, making your way over to your own bunk and climbing to the top so you could dangle your legs and kick them in the air. 

“It’s pretty fun. Besides the training and stuff, you can pretty much do whatever you want. I like that.” Percy nodded like he knew exactly what you were talking about. He opened a drawer and started to look through clothes- probably looking for some pajamas to wear.

“Mm, yeah. It’s like.” He paused for a second trying to find the right words, “It’s like a deadly Chuck E Cheese party.” 

“A deadly Chuck E Cheese party?”

“Yeah,” he pulls out a shirt and shorts, “There’s a bunch of kids running around with way too much energy. Instead of arcade games there are lava rock walls and Capture the Flag.” You were, somehow, following his train of thought now. 

“Okay..what’s the pizza then?”

Percy looks at you with a straight face. “The hams.” Then he walks over to the bathroom, “Gonna change and do all that stuff!” Your half-brother practically calls as the door shuts before he can finish. You yell back a response and figure it’s about time you got your own pajama situation situated. 

Grover had brought you to camp when you were trying to pull a fast one on another orphanage. That meant you didn’t have a lot of clothes on you. Really, the only thing that was in your go back was a bunch of snacks and a water bottle. Connor and the rest of Cabin Eleven’s inhabitants had tried to help you out in the clothes department.

See- the Hermes kids ran a covert underground smuggling business. How it worked was you’d give them mortal money and they’d go and buy you whatever you wanted- as long as you could afford it. Everyone was aware the prices were inflated. After all, they wanted to make a profit. Plus, if you agreed to their prices, you had a slightly lower chance of getting something sharpied onto the back of your shirt. 

Connor was nice about your lack of money. He had some younger kids run out to Goodwill and buy you some shirts and shorts. But- the sizes of the stuff they came back with? Either way too big or way too small. None of the clothes were the middle bear of the bunch. That left you with a last-ditch effort to get some options into your wardrobe- the camp store. 

Borrowing some drachmas from Connor, Grover, and Leo, you ended up buying an assortment of Camp Half-Blood labeled paraphernalia. Most of the time you looked like a walking, talking billboard advertising camp. It was terrible, but it was all you had. Making it work, that’s what you had to do.

Scanning over your current assortment of clothes you finally decided on something. A pair of grey sweat shorts and a bright, neon orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. A generic outfit, but hopefully a comfortable one. Besides, you told yourself, nobody was gonna see you. So why should it matter what clothes you were wearing? Oh, the woes of being a girl in the twenty-first century. No matter how much you didn’t want to care about clothes, there was always a small part of you that did. Sometimes you wanted to punt that small part far, far away. 

“Bathrooms yours whenever.” Percy called out a couple of minutes later, leaving the light on as he tossed the days attire into a hamper. For a second you were worried that that was the  _ only _ hamper in the place. But, your fears were quickly quelled. To the right of the cabinets containing your clothes was a hamper just for you. Thank gods.

“Be back in a sec.” You made your way other to the bathroom, thankful to be one step closer to falling asleep. The day seemed to speed on by despite how much had happened. It made sense, though. Interesting stuff meant time sped up for you. Boring things, like studying Ancient Greek or the gods, one day felt like five. That was just how the ADHD cookie crumbled.

“Alright, I might be asleep though. Actually tired for once.” 

“Woo! Way to have a sleep schedule.” 

Once the door was closed you quickly found yourself slipping out of what you were wearing and into the comfortable retreat of your pajamas. You hadn’t noticed the various grass stains and small bits of dirt on your pants and shirt. That kind of thing surprised you every time you noticed it, even though it was commonplace at camp. Everyone, even the Aphrodite girls, were always covered with a little bit of nature somewhere. 

You brushed your teeth- the Hermes kids had helped you out with that one, too- and did whatever it was you did with your h/c hair. One time you tried to describe it to someone else, but the look of confusion painted across their face suggested that they had no idea what was going on. It was a fair reaction, half the time you didn’t even know what you were doing. 

By the time you were done with your nightly ritual it looked like Percy was already fast asleep which was surprising. He struck you as someone who would have a hard time drifting off. He was so awake when you met him. Maybe that’s what made it so hard for you to imagine him asleep?

Whatever the case actually was, you were tired. Sleep sounded really, really nice. Never before had you looked at a comforter with such longing. Your eyes were filled with a want to just stay closed and let you drift off. As soon as you hit the bed you were out like a light. What came next wasn’t as nice as you would’ve wanted it to be.

_ You were standing in a Roman colosseum. Around you there were hundreds of spectators. They cheered, and for a moment you considered them your adoring fans. But, the instant your opponent stepped into the arena and the cheering all but doubled, you quickly decided that you were the enemy. This wasn’t your home turf.  _

_ Taking a step into the arena, the sun hitting your eyes painfully, you realized you were wearing armor and wielding a spear. It was similar to the one Leo found you during your first day of training. But, it was a completely different weapon. The spear tip was too wide. The grip wasn’t grooved in the right way. _

_ Across the arena stood a large figure. They were several feet taller than you- almost reminiscing of what you believed Percy to look like before you met him. His muscles were actually bulging. All in all- this was terrifying. _

_ “Little one! It seems your dream shows you of how we will meet on the battlefield!” His voice made you shudder. Of course it was the stupid guy from the last dream. Was this just the nightly occurrence now? _

_ “I’d rather not, actually. Can we go back to the dreams where I just start falling? Those are much better than whatever this is.” Your hands shook a little. Fighting this guy was out of the question. No matter what your dream compelled you to do, you would not fight this thing. He was scary. You would lose. If you lost you had a good feeling that would be a game over. There was no way you had been at camp long enough to be able to take him on. Heck, no matter long you would’ve been at camp, you felt like it would never be enough.  _

_ The figure stopped responding after you asked to switch dreams. Maybe that meant you were switching dreams? That would’ve been the best-case scenario. Gods, it would’ve been awesome. _

_ Instead, he started charging. Each bounding step he took made the ground tremble. Onlookers cheered. They probably were excited to finally see some action. No more talking- finally, fighting. You hated it.  _

_ Closer and closer the figure drew. You felt your skin tingle. You had to do something, right? Dodge, maybe. Or, at the last, second you could slide under his legs. People in movies always did that, and it always worked.  _

_ It felt like no time at all had passed. You blinked and the next thing you knew a sword was being swung down at you. You tried to roll away but your feet were planted. The only thing you could do was bring your arms up to your face as the blade came crashing down onto you. _

You didn’t feel the pain of being sliced in half, but you did feel the sensation of banging your head against the wood. Apparently that was something you were making a habit out of. Groaning, you looked around and rubbed your forehead. It was still night. The ambient, aquarium glow of the room was the only light source. Outside, it was pitch black, save for the moonlight. 

Now what were you supposed to do? It was some unseemly hour in the night and you weren’t allowed outside. Plus, Percy was fast asleep, so there wasn’t anyone to talk to. You contemplated trying to climb on the roof. Maybe, somehow, it wouldn’t count as going outside or leaving your cabin if you stayed on your cabin’s roof?

As much as you wanted that to be the case, you felt it wasn’t as soon as you thought it.

Carefully, with the stealth of a ninja, you crept out of your bed. The floorboards softly creaked underneath your feet as you tip-toed over to the other side of the room. You weren’t sure  _ exactly _ where you were going, but moving was better than nothing. Not a mere moment later you found yourself standing in the middle of the cabin. Great, good for you. You were there. Now what?

You didn’t have any books or paper by you, so that ruled out anything related to reading, writing, or drawing. Not that you wanted to do either of those things, but it was something to think about instead of the dream and whatever else your mind wandered to. You let out a silent sigh as you scanned the room.

“Can’t sleep?” An exhausted Percy asked from his bed. _Oh, gods please don’t tell me I woke him up._   


“I can’t. Did I wake you up?” You stayed still, not sure if you should move. 

“Nope, never fell asleep.” Now you heard a shuffling noise and saw Percy’s head appear. His hair was tangled and messed up, probably from tossing and turning. He waved you over. So, you shuffled to the bed opposite to his. “Why couldn’t you fall asleep?” It seems like as soon as he asks the question he already knows the answer, and you aren’t sure how to feel about that. It’s probably because Percy’s been a demigod and done  _ everything _ . 

Reluctantly, you answered. “It’s dumb but, nightmares.” Your voice was deprived of sleep. Just getting the words out was a chore in itself. But, Percy nods. 

“I get it, Y/n.” He shifts his weight on the bed. It creaks.

“You..you do? It’s just a bad dream.” Percy looks at you with an almost pitying expression. 

“Demigods get nightmares, bad dreams, whatever you want to call them. It kind of comes with the job.” 

“Dang..” you sigh out. This explained the scary dreams with the guy and the warmth and everything. “Do demigod dreams get weird?” Percy nods enthusiastically. 

“Oh my gods, yes they do. Most of the time, when they get really bad, it’s about something that’s actually going on. It’s like you can  _ see _ what's going on. Or, gods enter dreams sometimes. Those ones are annoying.” Then he stops himself. “Why, were your dreams like that?”

“Kind of. First, this lady told me to find some warmth. That was weird. Then..” you stopped yourself. The next dream you had was about Percy and, well, everything that came with you two being siblings. 

“Then?” 

“Then I was falling for a while. There was a vision with you and Chiron, but, I’m sure it was just the gods messing with me like you said.” You had high hopes that this would negate everything you feared. Percy would just say it was a god trying to get you to hate him, and you’d be on your merry way. 

“Was it night?” Percy asks inquisitively. Now you can tell you’ve hit something- maybe a sore spot, but you aren't sure.

Nodding, you timidly reply, “Mhm. It was in the big house, I think. Just you two.”

“Oh boy.” That wasn't a good sign. “I'm gonna guess it was _super_ out of context.” You shrug and kick your feet underneath you, creating a fake pillow. That was kind of a hard question to answer. Maybe the conversation wasn't out of context, or you had been given clues to figure out what the context was, but you haven't put them together. 

“How much context can you get in a dream?” You offer. Percy sounded dejected. Even though you hadn't said anything, he already knew what you saw. As much as you didn't want to talk about it, you could bet that feeling was tenfold for Percy. 

“Look, I- we were talking about you right?” You nod. “Okay, great.” He stops for a few, going over something in his head. Then, Percy continues on. 

“Whatever you heard, it wasn’t exactly what happened or what we were talking about. I don't know who would do this, or why, but. Can I explain everything at least? Then you can decide if you want to be mad at me or not.” He phrased it as an option: he'd be completely understanding if you wanted to ignore him for the remainder of this summer’s camp. It was comforting, in a strange way. Whatever Percy was about to tell you, he wouldn't judge you for reacting in whatever way you ended up reacting. It was like a small, invisible weight had been taken off your back. 

“Sure, Percy. Lay it all on me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, snap, they are Talking about Intense Things. OoO
> 
> Thank you to those who answered my question from last week! I'm still taking responses. Basically, it was: would y'all rather the quest be longer and have more character development during that or have the quest be shorter and have the character development be after the fact?
> 
> School just started and I hate it already. But- what's a person to do? Thankfully I still have this story to write. Saves for a few stress headaches.  
> Any comments, criticism, thoughts, questions, predictions, etc are always welcomed and encouraged! It's the same spiel from every author, but interacting with readers is always a fun and motivating thing. :D   
> -disc


	14. Late Night Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's storytime with Percy Jackson

Percy wasn't the best at telling long stories. 

What you meant by that was he tended to lose the point of  _ whatever  _ he was saying after 5-minute intervals. It was taxing, trying to piece everything together, but you were sympathetic. Sometimes you had trouble talking about stuff for a long time too. Most people here probably did. Just another fun perk of being a half-blood. 

The story was interesting but for all the wrong reasons. There wasn't a plot, for starters. But, everything tied together in a scary, all-too-relatable way. The more explanation you got, the more you wished he'd stop even though you were practically on the edge of your seat, begging to learn more. 

What Percy described went as followed:

He started out by saying that what you saw was, probably, what actually happened. It was a just selectively chosen section, though. 

Percy had been visiting Chiron about you. But, only because there was, to really undersell it, a prophecy that  _ may  _ concern you. Apparently the camp’s resident oracle, Rachel, spewed it out a month or so back. When Grover found you and eventually brought you to camp, he had been waiting for a chance to talk to the centaur. 

His dad make a joke, after the war (whatever that meant- you didn’t feel like asking) that he’d send more siblings his way. He didn’t expect him to be telling the truth. 

“I’m just worried? Is that a weird thing to say?” Percy asks, concluding his spiel about dreams and prophecies. Your stomach turned at the thought. The universe, picking  _ you _ out of everyone. No thanks.

“Not really..but what are you worried about?” 

“You. I know we’ve only just met, but you’re still my sister. Even if it’s on the godly side of things.” He sighs and leans back on his bed, landing on his back and talking to the backside of the bunk above him as he continued. “A long time ago, someone told me I was too loyal. They’re right- it’s my fatal flaw. We all have one.”

“Oh, well-” 

But he didn't stop talking. “My first week of being at camp I was sent on a quest that could've meant the end of the world. It was scary. I just don't want you to have to go through the same thing.” From everything you heard about Percy, that checked out. He killed titans and great beasts. But, you didn't know he started so soon. 

“How old were you?” You quietly ask. It was great and wonderful that Percy didn't hate you. Even more reassuring that it was just him worrying. But, this conversation wasn't about you anymore, and that's how you liked it. 

“12,” Percy replied. “I went to the Underworld and I was only 12.” That's-what? How could  _ anyone _ let that happen?

“How..who...why?” 

“A half-blood named Luke wanted to overthrow the gods. I was the lucky kid who got picked to save the world. I had to fight a  _ titan _ .” You nodded along as Percy spoke. “The Fates said a child of the Big Three would fight this big battle. That ended up being me.” For a few minutes, you didn't know how to respond.  _ How _ did you respond to something like that? So, you said the first thing that came to your mind. 

“I'm gonna drop-kick Zeus.” You start, “Or whoever's in charge. That's not cool.” Percy lets out a laugh- one you weren't expecting. 

“As long as I can punch his thunderous face.” You can hear the smile in his voice. For being sleep deprived, the energy in Cabin Three was pretty livid. The two of you, somehow, had found one thing to bond over: hating Zeus. You hadn’t even met the guy, but with your brief understanding of mythology, he wasn’t the greatest. Plus, what kind of god let a 12-year-old save the world? What was up with that? 

“We can’t get smited in here right?” You deadpan, the horrible realization dawning upon you. It wasn’t exactly your ideal way to go. It probably wasn’t very heroic, either. 

“ _ Probably _ not. I think our cabins like a temple in a weird way? And bad things always happen when on god does something bad in another god's temple.” 

“Oh, they do?” A dumb question, probably. 

“Yeah- that’s kind of Medusa’s whole evil, snakey origin story.” Percy earnestly replies. So, yeah, it was a dumb question. It was then and there you decide to rent a pile of books from the Athena cabin and brush up on your mythology knowledge. 

“Well, that’s always good.” Neither of you moved, but you both were very much awake. The silence wasn’t exactly awkward, but it was a little stifling. Someone was going to break it eventually, it was just a question of who. If it lasted for a minute longer it would’ve been you. But, Percy decided to take initiative. 

“Hey Y/n?” He asked like a kid who was  _ supposed  _ to be asleep during a sleepover but wasn’t. It was comparable to a small, hushed whisper-cry into a void.

“Yeah?” Your response took on a similar tone: hushed and small, but very much present.

“Can we talk to Chiron about your dreams tomorrow?” That was unexpected. But, after what you two talked about tonight, not unwarranted. Demigod dreams meant things, apparently. If you had a lot of them, and they all had some wild storyline going on, it was the universe telling you you needed to get your half-blood behind into gear. 

Sighing, you replied, “Yeah, I guys we need to. First thing in the morning? Get it over with?”

“Before he has to deal with anyone else.” Well, that was another thing to consider. You didn’t even think about that. 

You willed your body to get off the bed, “Sounds like a plan. I’m going to try and get some sleep.”

“Aye-aye. Good luck.” By now you had reached your bed.

“You too, Percy.” Covering yourself in the soft, welcoming blankets that rested on your bed you closed your eyes. A sluggish feeling washed over you, and before you knew it, you were asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter was so short! I promise the next one is like, three times the length. School has picked me up bridal style and carried me away to a far and distant land. I almost forgot to update this week (thankfully that wasn't the case ahah!) But, some important set up happened and now it is time to Get Down To It. 
> 
> Also, the reader thinks Percy killed Kronos when he was 12 because he never specified that the whole ordeal took a l o n g time. Just for clarification before people come at me in the comments lmao.
> 
> I'd say in terms of pacing we're kind of at the beginning of the middle point of the story now? At least that's how I hope it ends up.   
> See you all next week! Stay safe and stay happy!  
> -disc


	15. You Talk to the Centaur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Percy go and talk to Chiron.

The morning came so fast.

It felt like only seconds ago you had fallen onto your soft pillow and wrapped yourself up like a burrito with blankets. Now, the sun was shining through the cabin’s windows and birds had the _audacity_ to chirp outside. Groaning, you turned away from the light. Nobody asked you to get up, but you already felt the urge to mumble  _ Just five more minutes _ . 

The night had been relatively peaceful once you (eventually) fell back asleep. No scary, tall men charging at you with a sword. No visions that made you question your relationships. Just nice, uninterrupted sleep.

Stupid birds, going and ruining everything nice.

This morning, assuming Percy remembered, you both agreed to talk to Chiron about your dreams. To demigods, dreams were like glimpses into the future or other places in the world. It wasn’t just a scary scenario your brain cooked up for you- no, it was much better. Instead, you got the nice assurance that whatever nightmarish scenario you found yourself in was very much real and relevant to your life. Sorting out the last three of these kinds of dreams with the camp’s director seemed like the smart thing to do. 

Sluggishly you got out of bed, swinging your legs over the ledge and onto the ground. You stood up and quickly made your bed. It was a haphazard job, but it looked semi-presentable at best. The pillow was a little crooked and the blankets had a few wrinkles left. The point was it worked for you, which was all that mattered. 

The floor was cold and annoying. Right now you wished you had some socks or slippers. Even if they were a stark neon orange and had some sort of Camp Half-Blood lettering or logo on them, you would’ve taken them without a second thought.  The floor also creaked  _ way _ too much. The goal was to be stealthy as you went to the bathroom to get ready. You were hoping to give Percy some more time to sleep. What teenager wouldn’t appreciate a few more minutes? But, the floorboards had other plans. Each step sent an excruciatingly loud  _ creaaak _ through the cabin. 

Crap.

Trying to not shift as much weight as possible you craned your neck and tried to see if Percy was still in bed. There was a lump of blanket there- that told you nothing. He either was underneath it or had just forgotten to tidy up his bed. Hesitantly, you took a half step in an attempt to get a better view. That revealed more blanket and no answers. 

There was nothing you could do about it now. He was either asleep or awake. At the end of the day, you still had to brush your teeth and head down to the showers. No longer caring about how many times the floor creaked, you went into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

\-----

One quick shower later and you were all ready to go. Your hair, not damp, but completely dry, was brushed out. You still didn’t know where Percy was, which was kind of a problem. There was no way you could talk to Chiron about this on your own.

So you formed three plans, all based on Leo’s “teachings” from yesterday. Plan A was to check out the beach and swim around. He might’ve been underwater helping out hippocampi or just sitting, taking some alone time for himself. Plan B was to snake your way back to Cabin Three and hope Percy magically showed up. If things came down to it, you were willing to chant his name three times. Maybe he had Beetlejuice-like tendencies. In a world where the gods were real and you could control water, you figured any scenario or idea could never be too out there.

Plan C was to check Cabin Six. You hoped it didn’t come down to Plan C.

You smelled the beach before you saw it- much like the pegasus stables. The sea salt smell was overwhelming. The roar of the waves was piercing in the best way possible. Shuffling onto the sandy beach and taking off your shoes, you wondered if every beach was going to be this vibrant now that you knew who your dad was, or if camp’s beach was a magical exception. 

You scanned the ground, trying to spot a neon orange shirt or surfer, jet-black hair. After walking up and down the beach a few times, you decided to check underwater. Willing yourself to stay dry, you dipped your hair under the waves. How your parentage effected yourself in water was  _ never _ going to not be weird. Your hair floated like it normally would have, but it was dry to the touch. Plus, the breathing was just not it. Imagine taking a breath underwater, expecting water to rush and flood your lungs, and then only have that not happen. You’d be an 80 year old half-blood sooner than the underwater breathing process would be normal.

You took a few hesitant kicks and descended into the depths. A small fish swam past you. Somehow, you had a feeling he was waving. 

“Hey, wait _.” _ You called as the fish swam away. It stopped- which didn’t surprise you but took you off guard. “Oh, cool. Have you seen Percy anywhere? He’s my brother.” The fish looked at you for a few heartbeats like it was trying to decide whether or not you were speaking the truth. It swam around you, looking you up and down. Secretly you wished it would just hurry it up.

Eventually, it stopped and started to swim away. You thought you hadn’t passed the test, or whatever had just happened was. Then, the fish stopped, its calico fish scales glittering in the light. You felt like it was saying  _ You asked, and I know. Now- come on and hurry up!  _ You started to follow the fish. The calico creature started to get too far ahead of you, so you had to try and do that thing Percy taught you: propelling yourself through the water. It was awkward and it definitely earned you a few stares from some nearby sharks, but with time, you found yourself smoothly following along. 

It was deeper- you could just tell. Probably had something to do with your Poseidon powers. You approached a small overhang, and on that small overhang sat Percy surrounded by a few hippocampi. He was working on something, but you couldn’t see what from where you were. You gave the fish a small thumbs up and willed your way over to Percy. 

_Now_ you could see what was going on. Percy was hunched over a small turtle that was wrapped in a fisherman’s net. The creature struggled, but your brother calmed it down. The turtle stopped moving accordingly. 

“What’s going on? I was looking for you _. _ ” You ask, now sitting across from Percy. He perks up and stops his work for a moment- looking at you. In his hand was Riptide- shining and displaying a brilliant golden light in the sea. The blade was hooked under the net, just bordering on slicing through the woven trap.

“The hippocampi got Blackjack to wake me up this morning,” Percy explains. “This little guy was stuck. They wanted me to free him. It’s an easy fix.” With a swift flick of his wrist, Riptide cut through the net. It fell limp as the turtle quickly swam free.

_ Thank you, Lord!  _ The hippocampi said. Percy nodded and gave them a thumbs up- the kind of thumbs up that read like  _ Yeah, sure, it’s nothing. I know I’ll be back here doing the same thing tomorrow. _ As the turtle left and Percy dealt with the hippocampi, you grabbed at the now floating away net, rolling it into a small ball. That wouldn’t be hurting any more animals, not if you could help it. 

“Anything else you need to do down here? Or are we good to talk to Chiron?” He glanced at the hippocampi. In response, they simply swam away without a word, probably off to go bother some other sea creature. 

“Guess not.” A small playful smile on his face, Percy started shooting back towards the beach. Quickly, you started to follow him. In a manner of seconds, the two of you were back on the beach, completely dry and ready to go. The journey to the big house had begun.

Percy piped up as the two of you walked. “Not exactly how I thought this morning was going to start out, but it’s been worse.”

“There’s been  _ worse _ ?” He nods and re-caps Riptide, putting the pen into his pocket. 

“Ohh yeah. Ignoring every morning on the  _ Argo II _ , one time the Hermes cabin thought it would be a fun prank to set off fireworks at 5 am.” He didn’t have to go into detail. Even though you hadn’t even been at camp yet, the very thought of waking up so early irked you. Plus, knowing Connor and his siblings, the firework display was bound to be brilliantly annoying. 

“Doesn’t sound fun. Once I woke up to the sound of two five-year-olds banging pots together if that counts for anything.” Percy winces. 

“Gods, that sounds horrible. Where did they get the pots?” That was an easy answer.

You think it was about two years ago, all the way back at Doncaster. There were these two twins- Anne and Eva. Both of them were excitable littles kids, which you guess explained why they eventually sunk into the kitchen and found the largest pots their tiny hands could carry. The clanging sound was horrible. Think rusted metal hitting each other, occasionally throwing in the sound sharp objects made when they were dragged across chalkboards. Now, imagine it was six in the morning. All of that thrown together made sure that anyone within a 30-foot vicinity woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Nothing comparable to whatever gods-awful thing the Hermes cabin unleashed, but it was the only thing you could bring to this “I had a bad alarm one morning” discussion.

You explained this to Percy casually, trying to keep the story as brief as possible all the while including the necessary details. It only took you a couple of minutes to recount the tale at best. But, it took long enough for the big house to creep up on you and make its presence known. You walked right into the stair, bruising your shin. Some strange looks from some other campers later, you and Percy were inside face-to-face with the centaur himself, Chiron.

It had been a while since the two of you had spoken. The last time you saw him, you had almost died and Grover had saved your demigod behind. Now, the circumstances were calmer and tenser. Chiron’s expressed wreaked of worry, concern, and intrigue. Based on the bow and arrow that was leaning on the doorway, it probably wasn’t all that far off the guess he was heading over to the archery range. Looks like those kids would have to wait. 

“Y/n, Percy,” he nodded at the two of you as you took a seat in a nearby chair. Funnily enough, this was around the same spot you had been granted the very much unwelcomed front-row seat to Percy and Chiron’s conversation. “You said it was important?” 

“Um, yeah.” Explaining this would be terrible you decided right then and there. “It’s about some dreams.” This got Chiron’s interest. He rested his arms on the table and placed his hands underneath his chin, leaning forward slightly. One thing was clear: he was all ears. While that should’ve been a good thing, it only filled you with more worry. You turned to Percy, practically begging for help. Thankfully he was able to read you well enough and started talking.

“Y/ns been having some nightmares. After talking, we think it’s related to the prophecy.” This would’ve worried anyone- but Chiron remained unphased. Or, if he felt anything, he was really good at hiding it. 

The centaur nodded and seemed to maul over a few things in his head. 

“I’d have to agree.” Chiron finally admits, shuffling a few things around before continuing, “Some time ago the camp’s oracle Rachel Elizabeth Dare produced a prophecy. At the time it was unclear who it was meant for, or even when it would come into fruition. But,” he leaned back and pulled a small piece of paper out of a nearby cupboard, “It seems now is the answer.” He extends his hand, offering you the paper.

Upon further inspection, it turned out the small piece of paper was actually a small scroll. It was rolled up and adorned with a small, fitting red stamp of a pegasus. You fumbled with the thing for what felt like forever before the  _ shing _ of Riptide being drawn echoed throughout the room. Defeated, you gave Percy the scroll. He skillfully used Riptide to cut through the stamp, keeping the paper and red-blot intact. 

“How’d you know how to do that?” You asked as he handed it back to you. Percy had a goofy, sheepish smile on his face.

“I guessed. It just made sense, if you’ll believe that.” There was no reason for him to be lying, so you took his word for it. Besides, you had seen him free the turtle this morning. If anything, Percy could wield Riptide with ease. You made a mental note to ask him for fighting tips later. Maybe sword skills translated to spears, somehow?

Finally, it was time. Apparently this small piece of paper would explain everything. It would explain the dreams- thank  _ gods _ it would explain those. If you were being honest with yourself, regardless of whatever else this prophecy brought with it, you were okay with that. As long as the dreams would finally make sense you were okay with all the probable bad that was soon to come. If your brother and his friends could save the world, you could suck it up and deal with the universe for a hot second, too.

Carefully you unraveled the paper. The writing was small. So small, in fact, that you had a hard time reading it. Small type plus dyslexia- not good. You weren’t even sure why you gave it or yourself a chance. It was some weird thing that you had to prove, to nobody but yourself, you guessed. Because, eventually, you saw some semblance of words forming. 

“Should I just read it aloud or..?” You weren’t sure if this was something just meant for you. Chiron definitely knew what the prophecy said. And, from the way things sounded, it also seemed like Percy knew what it said, too. “Just wondering.”

Percy shrugged. “Whatever you want. I’ve never really heard all of it.” That was shocking and something you’d ask him about later- assuming you remembered to. 

“Okay. It says:

_ A fire will beckon those who seek _

_ The separated siblings will take the lead _

_ What was once lost will be found _

_ Deep from within stirs a power unseen _

_ The last hope will be tarnished _

_ And downfalls the one who refuses to be punished _ .” You looked at Chiron, searching for a sign you misread anything. He wasn’t showing any of the classic symptoms- a contorted face, suppressed laughter, or disbelief- which was fantastic. It meant you read the prophecy and your dyslexia decided to take a step back just long enough for you to get it out. Not like you were particularly thrilled about the words that just came out of your mouth, though. 

“Can you make sense of any of this?” Chiron asks, “Anything from the dreams or guesses about what The Fates might mean?” Gods, you didn’t know. 

Well, okay, that was somewhat of an exaggeration. You had a small, tiny clue as to what some of the prophecy meant. But, your answers seemed obvious. It wasn’t like what you were about to say was going to shape the course of half-blood life forever or anything. Nobody would be talking about how ‘The Great Y/n changed how we all look at prophecies” anytime soon. If Leo was here, he’d have something funny and equally intelligent to say. You wished he was in the room- that kind of lightheartedness was something you were missing right about now. 

“Uh, maybe. I don’t know if it’s right, though. Or even helpful.” You shifted in your seat uncomfortably. The prophecy wasn’t exactly as world-ending as you had feared (there were some terrifying lines going through your head) but, you weren’t exactly thrilled about the last hope being tarnished. 

“Somethings better than nothing.” Chiron urged you to continue on. 

“If you say so.” In an attempt to feel more confident, or maybe sure of yourself, you sat up in the chair. “You guys thought this was about me..right?” They nod. “Okay. The separated sibling thing. Maybe that’s about me and Percy?” It wasn’t all that bad of a guess, but you were new to this, okay? Maybe that wasn’t how any of this worked.

“That’s what we were thinking!” Percy exclaims as soon as you finish speaking, a small hint of excitement on his face. “Or, at least that was what me and Grover were thinking. My dads been having some issues by where he’s staked out. So, when Grover found you, we were talking via empathy link one night and it just made sense.”

“Via  _ what _ ?”

“You can explain that later.” Chiron interrupts, using an almost fatherly demeanor. At least that was the closest thing you could think to describe it. “I know you haven’t known about your parentage- or this world, for that matter, for long. But, now is the time.” There’s an overly dramatic pause, “Y/n, will you take up the journey? I can only explain the details if you agree to go.” You interpreted that as  _ Big stuff going on here, probably pretty important _ . 

“It kind of sounds like I have to go..” You mutter in response. Beside you, there’s a semi-audible  _ Well, yeah, that’s usually how these things go _ from Percy. “So I’ll do it.” Chiron looks almost  _ relieved _ when you say the words. 

“Fantastic,” Chiron marks something down on a nearby calendar- you can’t exactly read what it says, “Before I share anything, you’ll need to find a third questing partner. Obviously you and Percy are destined to take up this journey. But, a rule of three is prevalent in our world. Anything more or less than that usually ends in tragedy..” Percy shifts on his feet, looking visibly uncomfortable, although you aren’t sure why.

“Oh- who else needs to come then? Percy, what to do you think? You’re  _ wa-ay  _ more experienced than me.” 

“This is your quest, Y/n. I can’t really pick.” He deflects, looking sorry. No way was this your job. Just because you were mentioned in a prophecy or something did  _ not _ mean you were qualified to pick out quest buddies. 

“What makes it my quest?” Your voice is a little higher pitched and airy, “Me and Percy are mentioned equally in the prophecy. It should be a joint operation!” Chiron shakes his head and gives you a sorry look. Clearly he had seen this in campers before. 

“You had the dreams. The Fates have chosen you, Y/n.” Oh, great. The universe plucked you out of millions of people. You ran a frustrated hand through your hair.

“Okay, fine. How do I pick someone out?” If you had to do this, they could at least tell you  _ how _ to do it. 

“It’s best to pick someone you trust. Someone you know who will have your back no matter what. These things can get..wild.” Percy explained. Okay, take someone you trust. You trusted Percy (even though he was already coming) so that made things easier. Now, you just had to pick out one other person.

You ran through a list of people in your head. You had met a handful of wonderful people at camp. For example, there was Connor. He (and his whole cabin) had been incredibly welcoming. Not only had they gone out of their way to help you, but you made a few genuine friends. 

Maybe Connor was the answer. He was skilled and had his fair share of demigod experiences. He seemed to know what he was talking about. He and Percy’s skill put together could make any fight a breeze. Plus- he was quick, something you weren’t. But, did you trust him?   


The answer was, after thinking about it, a remorseful no. Connor was great- he was funny and caring. Rarely serious, but you had seen his determination during Capture the Flag. But...he was, well, Connor. There was always an air of immaturity and an unplanned for theft. Even though that sounded fun, on a quest it didn’t exactly sound like the best thing. There went one candidate.

Annabeth was smart. You had only had a handful of conversations with her, but she knew what she was talking about. She was also trustworthy. There was no doubt in your mind she would take anything on this quest lightly. But, you didn’t know her that well. Of course, you wished that wasn’t the case, but knowing everyone on this little adventure seemed like the preferable case. Also, you didn’t feel like third-wheeling the entire time. 

Finally, you figured out who it needed to be. Your face lit up and you turned to the two.

“Oh! I got it. Do you mind if I go and..?” Percy gave you a thumbs up and Chiron nodded. Seemed like you had the okay. “Thanks. I’ll be right back- hopefully with another person. You quickly left the big house.

When you stepped outside you noticed the sun had risen and it was much warmer than it had been in the morning. Camp didn’t look like the semi-ghost town it did before. Kids were milling about either training or socializing. That gave you hope the person you needed would be awake. 

A short jog later you found yourself walking up the steps to the cabin. You held your breath, your hand inches away from the door. You just needed to knock, that was all. But, there was also a small voice in the back of your head. It kept reminding you that after this, things would be different. There was a quest. You were supposed to go on that quest. And, now, you were dragging this person down with you. 

Shaking your head you pushed those thoughts aside. If you were to die a dramatic, painful death, there’s nobody else you’d rather see in your final moments. With no shortage of nerves, you knocked on the door three times. Nobody answered. For a second you wondered if maybe everyone had training right now.  _ Wow _ would that have sucked big time. You’d have to go on a wild goose chase, going all around camp looking for one whole person. Not exactly something you were looking forward to, but if that had to be the case, then so be it.

You were just about to give up, turn around, and begin the hunt when the door creaked open. You let out a sigh of relief. Although, you didn’t recognize the short, small, strangely shredded child (it was just a statement of fact) who answered the door. 

“Hello!! I’m Harley and this is Cabin Nine- what do ya need?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooo prophecy! Exciting times! Also. HARLEY! What a wholesome little kid who builds flamethrowers in his free time. Everyone should aspire to have Harley energy. TLDR: I'm super excited to write him. 
> 
> On a more serious note- I think I'll be forgoing next week's update. School has gotten really busy and I haven't had time to work on the next chapter, aka I'm out of prewritten chapters and I need to get on that. If things change and I somehow bust out three chapters this week- then we'll be all good! But, it's just not feasible for me to juggle everything right now. Hopefully, that ends up not being the case- but if it is, you all know why. Just don't wanna burn myself out and end up feeling unmotivated or anything- because this fic is getting finished if it kills me.
> 
> Thank you for all the support, by the way! I honestly never expected as many people to be interested in this fic as there are. It's literally just me thinking things and writing them down. All the comments and stuff- it's all just mind-boggling to me. It's super cool and fun to see people like what you're writing, you know? And, if anyone was wondering, ofc I said "nice" when I found out this fic reached 69 kudos. It's just the law of the land.
> 
> I think that's enough of me dribbling in the notes. If things pop off- see you next week. If not, you'll know where I am, and I'll see you in two <3  
> -disc :D


	16. The Floor Fridge is Empty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo's cleaning gets interrupted by Harley.
> 
> (Leo POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi

Leo had been, for once, cleaning his living space. His bed in Cabin Nine tended to get cluttered- like most things he decided to spend more than 10 hours at did. There were a bunch of small, unopened bags of fruit-snacks by his pillow. In the cup holders, there were small bundles of wire he kept there for convenience’s sake. It wasn’t like he was actually going to put any cups in the cup holders- might as well make them useful for something.

By his standards, he guessed he was about 3-quarters of the way done with everything. His small desk had been mostly cleared. Small projects that he knew he’d never finished and been taken apart and put away. He even  _ dusted _ \- which was completely unprecedented. Nyssa gave him a completely warranted, weird look as soon as she saw him pick up the duster.

He was in a zone. Not exactly the same kind he got into when he worked, but it was comparable at least. Leo was hyper-focused on getting his bed clean- even if the soon-to-be clean state of it would only last so long. It was like an endless cycle of clean bed to not clean bed.

He had scooped up the fruit-snack pile into his hand when he turned around and saw his little brother Harley standing behind him, a smile on his face.

“Hey, H-Meister. What’s up?” He almost offered Harley a bag of fruit snacks before realizing that wasn’t the smartest idea. Gods knows how outdated the packs were. 

Harley bounced on his feet. He either really had to pee or something was going on. Leo hoped it was the latter.

“Oh! Well,” he stated, “there’s this girl looking for you! I didn’t know if we could let her in, so I gave her a juice box and asked her to wait outside. Also, we’re out of juice boxes.” A girl looking for Leo? The list of people that could’ve been was very small and barely existent in the first place. He nodded and quickly looked for the nearest trash can, throwing the fruit snacks away. Leo could’ve sworn there was an audible  _ thunk _ as the packets hit the bottom of the can. 

“Thanks for letting me know, man. And, are you sure we’re out? You checked the floor fridge and everything?”

“Mhm! That’s where I got her juice box from. The only stuff left is the takeout Chinese Shane asked Connor for.”

“Why’d he put that in the floor fridge? Seems like a minifridge thing.”

“I dunno.” That was fair. “Maybe his minifridge was full of Red Centaur.” 

“Oh no,” Leo winced as they walked towards the front door of Cabin Nine, “I  _ hope _ not. That’d be, like, way too many cans for one minifridge or person.” Harley nodded in response, sidestepping towards Leo as someone shuffled past them with a large, suspiciously lightsaber-shaped sword. Hopefully, it wouldn’t blow up like the last one. 

“Shane might never go to sleep if his minifridge is full of Red Centaur…” Although Leo couldn’t see it, Harley had a small, concerned frown on his face. But, he could certainly hear it. 

“Naah. He doesn’t have that much willpower. I wouldn’t worry about it.” 

That seemed to do the trick- or at least help. Harley perked back up a little. “Okay!” The small boy took a few more steps and beat Leo to the door. He opened the metal door a little bit and poked his head outside.

“He’s here now, Y/n!!” With no effort at all, Harley single-handedly swung the rest of the door open. Sure enough, there was Y/n, juice-box and all. She was mid-sip when she noticed he had arrived. Y/n perked up, took one last sip of juice, and turned to face him. Harley stood in the doorframe, looking between the two with an innocent intrigue. 

“Thanks, Harley.” Y/n said, “for getting Leo and for the juice box. These are really good.”

“They are!” Harley agrees, “That’s why we’re out. Everyone drinks them so fast, even the floor fridge stash we have.” Y/n wasn’t expecting the conversation to take this turn, and frankly, Leo wasn’t either. She looked at Leo with a face that was riddled with confusion that was begging for answers. 

“ _ Floor fridge? _ ” She tried to glance at the cabin’s floorboards, but she couldn’t spot anything resembling the floor fridge. It was pretty well hidden- everyone in Cabin Nine had made sure of that. Why have a floor fridge if other people were just going to find it? That was just impractical, and honestly, kind of stupid.

“Yeah,” Leo took a few steps back and kicked a small, hidden trapdoor open, “Floor fridge.” Hesitantly, Y/n took a few steps forward so she could see the floor fridge in all its glory. 

“Neat.” Leo wasn’t really sure what to say next. Harley was happily bouncing in between them both (okay, so maybe he had to go to the bathroom, too) and Y/n seemed hesitant to actually start whatever conversation she wanted to have. It was after Harley almost tripped on himself when Leo decided to grow a pair and actually say something.

“What’s up?” Harley’s bouncing was ever-persistent. Leo was worried about the floorboards underneath the kid, actually. Y/n became a lot more present as soon as Leo asked, her expression changing almost instantly. 

“Right! Yup, that thing. Um,” she glanced at Harley then back at Leo. He understood the message immediately. He nodded covertly. 

“Harley, you need to go?” He was fairly sure he had to go. Otherwise, his younger brother was bouncing around for a new reason that Leo would soon be aware of. Harley’s eyes snapped onto Leo and he looked relieved.

“Yes.” Was the smaller smiths response as he darted towards the bathrooms.  _ Well, that takes care of that _ . Y/n suppressed a small laugh, a smile tugging on the edge of her lips.

“He had to go.” She watches momentarily as Harley books it before looking at him.

“He  _ did _ have to go.” Leo agrees, feeling a little self-conscious about everything. What he was wearing, how he was standing, if there was an absurd amount of grease on his face. Stuff like that, and it was unneeded and annoying. “Really, though. Y/n, is everything okay?” 

“Yeah. Sort of. Kind of?” She stopped for a second, collecting her thoughts. “It’s yet to be determined. Are you gonna be busy these next couple of days?”

Odd, but he rolled with it. “Just some small projects, why?” 

“Are the projects small but super important?” Y/n pressed forward. She was looking at him intently now. 

Leo would have argued that every project was super important, but he wasn’t feeling like being overly annoying today. Maybe if Y/n caught him yesterday it would’ve been a different story. 

“Nope.” 

“Okay.” Y/n clasped her hands together like she was about to dish out some sick beats. “Would you be up to going on a quest, with me? And Percy. He'll be there, too.” Y/n spoke deliberately. Each word came out with a sharpness Leo was unable to place. 

_ A quest. _ He echoed in his head. Leo thought he had had enough of those for a lifetime. But, here Y/n was, asking him to go on one. 

He had to admit he wasn’t exactly prepared to decide if he just wanted to  _ go _ on a quest. He was kind of over them if he was being honest with himself. Last time had been..well it had been a time. Leo died for a whole minute. And, this may sound crazy, but he really didn’t feel like coming close to doing that again. 

It wasn’t like the last time he’d left camp things had gone swimmingly, either. Leo had taken a personal, mini-vacation from traveling long distances on Festus after that. Actually, it wasn’t much of a mini-vacation, retrospectively speaking. It had been half a year and Leo still found himself happily  _ not _ doing that.

Instinctively he put his hand on his toolbelt. Leo could almost feel the small, silver-coated band underneath the fabric. It was like it was taunting him-no, not taunting him. Daring him, that was the better word. It felt like the silver band was daring him to say yes and repeat what had happened before. 

“Stupid band.” He muttered without realizing it. That caused Y/n to frown. He only realized he had spoken when she looked around, supposedly for the band.

“What band? What?” So, he had spoken. Great. 

“Nothing! It’s nothing. Just thinking about something I was working on with Harley earlier.” He tried to smile, muster a smile he used to use when he was younger. If he was doing it right it should’ve covered any emotional distress he was feeling at the moment, which he should note, was an unexpectedly large amount. 

“Oh, alright.” Y/n didn’t look immediately alarmed, which Leo hoped meant he was doing it right. 

All that and he had yet to answer the actual quest question. _Hah. Quest question_.

The smile still planted on his face, he dramatically sighed out, “Well, fine. It only makes sense you’d need someone as awesome as me to come with.” Leo never thought he had seen someone looked more relieved in his life. 

“Aaand I’m already regretting it. Come on,” she walked down the cabin’s steps and waved for Leo to follow. Letting one last pang of panic course through him, he jogged and caught up with Y/n. She wouldn’t want him to back out of this. Plus, that was one time. The circumstances were different now. This time it'd be okay. 

Anxiously, although for different reasons, the two marched to the big house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the concept of the floor fridge so much words can't describe. 
> 
> But, yeah! I said I'd be finishing this story, and I intend to. Although, updates will be slower and more sporadic than they used to be because of school. It's been a hot second so like, how are y'all doing? (No spoilers) but has anyone read Tower of Nero yet? I bulldozed through it yesterday. Still grappling with the fact that this series I've grown up with is officially over so y e a h. 
> 
> So! Yes! I'm not dead is basically the TLDR. Comments and kudos are always big motivators, you know the spiel. At this point, it's like the "65% of the people who watched my last video are not subscribed to the channel" thing lol. 
> 
> See y'all when the quest begins :D. Till then, keep safe and keep getting through it  
> -disc <3


	17. Festus Will Be Flying in 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo's agreed to come on your quest. Now all that's left to do is figure out where to go and get a move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and it's done! I actually had a bit of steam and time so I started the next chapter. Hopefully, during break inspiration and excess time mix together and I can get another update out before the onslaught of school comes back :D
> 
> also- thank you for 100 kudos! that's insane??!?!. From one Leo simp to another I wholeheartedly thank you all for the support and overwhelmingly positive response to this fic. I've said it before and I'll say it again- it's just so cool, guys. Like, I'm writing a thing and people are reading it and-
> 
> you get the jist.

“Oh, so there’s fire in this one too. _ Fun. _ ” Leo (a little aggressively) grabbed a handful of ambrosia, obviously not all that pleased with this new piece of information. 

“This one too? There was fire in another one?” You almost didn’t want to ask, but your curiosity got the better of you. It was like the words came out of you before you could even process what you were saying. _But_ , you reasoned with yourself, _if he openly brought up it_ wouldn't _be that bad of a thing._

“ _ To storm or fire the world must fall _ ,” Leo recited in a mocking prophetic voice, “I was the fire that time. I wonder what I’m beckoning?”   


“Leo-” Percy tried to interject. But, it was pointless. Leo was on a roll. Percy's pleas and attempts to break into his rant passed right through the pyromancer. 

“Who do you guys think is seeking? I personally hope it’s someone at least a  _ little _ interesting. Old Dirt Face was boring.”

“ _ Leo-” _

“I’m just saying!” Leo threw his hands up in exasperation, almost throwing the wrench he was holding far, far behind him. 

“Leo, Festus has been creaking and making weird noises for the last minute and me and Y/n don’t know morse code.”  _ Finally, _ Percy got through to him. Or, Leo had finally decided to shut up and listen. You weren’t sure which description was more accurate. 

“Oh.” Without protest or mention of fire, Leo trudged over to Festus’ head and listened to the whirl of his drills. You and Percy remained silent and continued packing for the journey ahead. Nobody knew how long the quest would take. Apparently, the “mandatory deadline” part of this thing hadn’t appeared yet. Percy said there was always a deadline. Leo had a bet with Festus (apparently, you didn’t get that part. You understood that Festus was about as sentient as any other person was, but you were hung up on how a bet would work between those two) as to when the deadline would appear. Both of them agreed something was up if the quest lasted two days and a god or goddess didn’t materialize, saying something like “You have till the moon waxes for you to solve the mystery and save the world from certain doom!” 

Their words, not yours. 

The meeting at the big house hadn’t lasted long. As soon as you returned with Leo in tow the three of you got to work catching each other up and figuring out what the next step was. Chiron helped where he could, providing advice that was a mix of sage-life and father-like. It was hard to discern the difference.

Eventually, you all had come to the conclusion that the three of you needed to make a trip to the Statue of Liberty. 

The idea had started as a joke. Someone suggested the quest would have something to do with the giant, plastic campfire in the middle of the Midwest. A road trip staple, right up there with the  _ Leaning Tower of Niles _ in Illinois.  _ Obviously,  _ the largest campfire known to man was beckoning them. The goddess of corny tourist attractions probably wasn’t all that pleased with the bad press her business was getting. People were moving on to bigger, weirder things. You three would be tasked with fixing that and “re-igniting” the flame. Boom- warmth found.

That idea had been brushed off immediately. It was just the byproduct of the three of you spitballing ideas. Teenage brains at work were a marvel sometimes. But, by that very same power, the idea was just as quickly brought back to the table. Or, at least the essence of the idea. There wasn’t a person in the room who didn’t, very rationally might you add, conclude  _ Wait, that’s not a bad idea. _

Chiron had long since retired to his quarters by the time the whiteboard and markers came out. He had been helping, but he could only push the three of you in an unknown direction for so long. On the board was an itemized list labeled  _ Big Flames _ (which Leo insisted he be included on.) The idea was to brainstorm as many locations that had fires, connected to warmth, and even hearths, just for good measure. Gods and important things liked to make themselves a part of wherever Western Culture happened to be. If the dreams weren’t going to give you all a location, you could list out everything and see which one was beckoning you more. It wasn’t the cleanest or most strategic approach, but Annabeth wasn’t on this quest. This was the approach all three of you had settled and by the gods were you all determined to stick with it. 

And, honestly? You kind of doubted there would be a lot of strategy moving forward. You knew yourself and you hoped you knew your friends. Percy and plans didn’t mix well. Leo, by the gods, was he smart despite his best efforts, was much better off with a set of tools. You were still figuring out which greek god was which. Any sort of forethought into  _ anything _ was something you assumed had been thrown out the window the second Chiron left. It would be one big, improvisation adventure.

That sentiment could only be reflected in how the list had ended up. Notable inclusions on  _ Big Flames _ were Flavortown (Guy Feri had a fire thing going on, it made sense at the moment), fire stations (generally speaking), and a Burning Mountain in Australia (apparently it was always on fire.) 

Eventually, and only after the list had become excruciatingly long,  _ Big Flames _ started to shrink in size. The three of you had your own Expo Dry Erase Markers and started to cross out places that didn’t make sense. Flavortown (despite Leo’s arguments and pleas) would be impossible to locate. It wasn’t on a map. The same thing applied to the general listing of fire stations since it was so...general. Visiting every fire station to ever fire station would take up too much time. The deadline that was going to appear, apparently, would run out entirely too quickly and the three of you wouldn’t have made any ground in that regard.

Finally-finally there was a break in the case. Most places and people had been crossed out- including Leo- on the  _ Big Flames  _ list. That left one last, serious location: the Statue of Liberty. The statue held a flame and is considered one of those “very American” things- like the center of the melting pot. Western civilization, big thing, Historical Importance, a flame, yadda yadda yadda...a whole lot of blabbing later you all decided that was your best bet. _ Big Flames _ had served you all well yet.

Now you three were here, standing beside Leo’s dragon named Festus and getting ready to leave camp. You were nervous to step beyond the camp’s magical borders, which surprised you. All your life you had lived on the streets, running from place to place because you didn’t  _ like _ having a home. The commitment and permanent nature of having a home scared you. There were rules, people telling what you to do- all these things that just put you a little on edge. Yet, somehow in the short time you had been here, camp had slowly started to become just that: a home.

“Yo, Y/N, can you hand me that bag?” Leo asked from somewhere behind Festus. You looked around the ground, scanning for this bag that he needed. You wished you had been able to see him- assuming he pointed to  _ which _ bag you were supposed to grab. There was a small pile of bags at your feet. Even Percy, who was standing at the other end of Festus, looked confused when you pointed to the mound and mouthed  _ Which one? _

“Can you be more specific? There’s five,” you squatted down to get a better look at the bags, “no, six, bags here.”

“The brown one with the yellow on top.”  _ Brown one with the...there.  _ Now that you knew what you were looking for it was much easier to find. You picked up the bag gently and scrambled up Festus, meeting Leo halfway.

“Here.” You handed him the bag and paid mind to not fall sideways. That’d be bad, you elegantly decided. Curtly Leo took the bag and opens it up, eyes lighting up once they landed on its contents. You wondered what was in that bag that Leo was so enamored with.

“Scrap metal,” he says, almost reading your mind. How did he  _ know _ ? Did you read that easily? Instinctively, you pull yourself closer to the bag in an attempt to get a better look. After all, he’d offered an explanation. It was alright if you wanted to actually see stuff. “Just in case anything super bad happens. It won’t- Festus and I together are too awesome for that- but fail-safes are nice to have.” Leo’s voice softens out and his gaze becomes somber- but only for a fraction of a second. You barely catch it. But, before a wide smile spread across his face again, you were confident there was something  _ else _ there. Something that wasn’t a smile or a smirk. It was like there was an unspoken implication of that sentence- and you couldn’t place your finger on what exactly it was.

“Anyways,” Leo closes the bag and claps his hands together, “You ready to fly on Valdez Airlines?” Festus cheerily clicks. 

“Valdez-?” You snort and have to stop yourself from spiraling into a fit of laughter, “I-I guess? Is flying on Festus like flying on an actual airplane?” That was the only thing you could think to equate this to- _Valdez Airlines_ aside. 

“Dunno.” He shrugs and scoots himself around so he was facing the direction Festus was facing. “Flying dragon? Check. Flying ship? Yup. But, never done an airplane.” You had been on an airplane once, and it was terrible. It was a small trip from California to Arizona and all you remembered was the turbulence. The winds hated that plane for some ungodly reason. But, something caught your attention. Something that Leo had dropped so casually it almost made you do a double-take.

“Flying ship?” 

“The Argo II.” Leo and Percy respond at the same time.  _ Well, thanks guys, that explains it. _

“Which is..?” You drag on, climbing down Festus to go help Percy with the last few bags. 

“The super-awesome flying ship I build for a once in a lifetime quest to beat up the earth.” Leo clarifies with no trace of sarcasm in his voice. He was serious about the Argo being super-awesome, you guessed. Good for him.

“Hey, that’s a  _ way _ better way to put things than ‘Annoying Quest Number Two.’ I think I’ll use that.” Percy chimed in, loading the last bag onto Festus. It was a wonder to you that these two guys had gone on, what in all honestly sounded terrible, two big quests. It just seemed surreal- out of this world. Well, less so for Percy. Grover’s stories had made that easy to believe (you still couldn’t get over how terrifying you thought he’d be before you met him.) Leo, though? Sure, he got serious with his projects, but you couldn’t see him punching monsters square in the jawline like you could with Percy. It was a different energy- one that was two abstract for you to place yet. 

“That’s the last bag,” Percy said with a content smile. You looked around, realizing there was still one more thing you had to put away- your sleeping bag. Quickly you did that, knowing that if you didn’t hurry you’d be holding your questing partners back. That was the last thing you wanted to do. 

“Aaand we’re done.” You proudly announced before quickly looking around and adding, “I think.”

“Yup- we look good from up here!” Leo confirmed, giving you and Percy a big thumbs up and a smile. “So climb on up and we’ll go over Festus protocol!” The dragon liked the sound of that, giving an affirming whirl of agreement. 

You and Percy climbed up Festus. Leo sat at the front- after all, he needed to drive (could you even drive a dragon? What was the right term for that?) The only thing that was up in the air was if you or Percy sat “shotgun.” Both of you wanted to sit in the middle, if for no other reason than added security. Apparently, Percy didn’t have the best experience with planes, either. _Wild._

In the end, Percy ended up letting you sit in the middle. After talking about how both of you hated planes (and how that hatred had stemmed from the consequences of your shared godly parentage), your brother insisted that you sit in the middle. 

“Between me and Leo, we’ve both had enough experience with falling out of the sky.” Percy explained as he sat at the far back of Festus.  _ So..falling out of the sky was a normal thing? Fantastic!  _

“Mostly me.” Leo chirped, seeming to take some pride in surviving so many falls.

“Mostly Leo.” Percy checked his pockets, making sure he had ambrosia on hand, “So if you end up falling off for some crazy,  _ crazy _ reason, it’s probably best you’re close to both of us, right?” His reasoning made sense. Also,  _ reasoning _ . You made a mental note: Percy wasn’t as airheaded as you initially thought. When it came to battle and quest strategy, he was more than capable. Your brother kept surprising you. First, he wasn’t eight feet tall and ripped like a bodybuilder, next he spewed out some Annabeth-level stuff. In conclusion: Percy Jackson wasn’t just a pretty face. That, you thought, was awesome.

“Seriously. I’ve fallen out of the sky so many times I should, like, get an award for it or something.  _ Leo Valdez: Free-Fall Extriodinare. _ If you go I go- then we’ll be a-okay.” That promise was as equally reassuring as it was worrying. 

“Thanks?” Your face probably matched how confused you felt. It couldn’t be stressed how confusing and somewhat disheartening that sentence was. it was comparable to a terrible movie adaptation of a book. It starts out hopeful- you want to believe it's going to continue to be fine. But, then the movie (or in this case Leo's promise to jump off of his dragon if you fell) continues and it's nothing like the book. When everything's said and done you've just watched a movie that was _not_ an adaptation of the book in question and an hour and 47 minutes of your life was down the drain. But, at least one of the characters danced to Poker Face (aka Leo said he'd save you)?

Yeah, that worked. That was exactly how you felt.

“Anyways- tips and tricks for flying on Festus!” Leo proceeded to list out various tips. Some of them were actually helpful- like how to sleep on a flying dragon, for instance. Others were more informational (a rundown of all the various buttons.) A notable favorite from the myriad of buttons Leo had installed on Festus was the _Radio_ button. It wasn't a radio in earnest, as you had learned. Rather, it was a long playlist of songs personally curated by the pilot himself. He didn't give any insight into what might actually _be_ on said playlist, but you had hopes. 

Overall, the entire spiel was solid. It made you feel safer about taking to the skies- something that had left you a little worried before. 

As soon as Leo was done he hit a few buttons and flipped a few levers. Small railings rose out of hidden compartments and appeared next to all three of you. Then Festus’ wings spread out and  _ gods _ were they beautiful. The sun hit them like small, gentle kisses of bliss. Deena the duck was cute, and you treasured the thing, but...this was on a whole other level. Festus was magnificent. You couldn’t appreciate the mechanics or inner workings of him. You were pretty sure you’d never even be close to understanding that stuff (which was fine by you.) But you could tell that Festus was a work of art. You weren't even much of an art person and you knew that much. His gears clicked together harmoniously and, before you knew it, he was running and then soaring into the sky. 

The wind brushed past against your face. “THIS. IS.  _ AWESOME!”  _ You yelled out, tempted to throw your hands up in the air just for the fun of it. Then you remembered the whole Zeus thing and immediately decided against it. You'd rather wait to see if Leo would _actually_ throw himself off of Festus if you fell until you were actually falling because of a situation you did not cause. 

“Yeah?” Leo’s hair was being thrown around, his curls getting more twisted and knotted by the second. He turned around, a wide smile on his face. You think this is the happiest you’ve ever seen him.

“Yeah!” For some reason (mostly because the turbulence hadn’t started yet), flying on Festus filled you with unbridled joy. It was like the epitome of being free. In the sky, up here, you could do anything, go anywhere. It made you so happy. You let out a laugh and another defiant yell before twisting around to check up on Percy. He looked pretty stoked about the whole flying situation, too. Although, his knuckles were a little white on the railings. 

“We haven’t gotten thrown around yet. This is awesome. Festus, I don’t think I’ve ever said it, but you’re cool.” Just to show off, Festus let out a small puff of fire before you all. The flames went away by the time you all flew to where they would have been. It was cool. Everything about this was  _ cool. _ Even though you knew with every inch of your being the quest wouldn’t stay this cheery, you hoped otherwise. Maybe this quest could be the first happy quest. No deadlines. No suffering. No stress. Just three friends flying on a big, bronze dragon in the open skies. 

Soaring off over the horizon, you made it your mission to find whatever the warmth was as quickly and efficiently as possible. You might’ve been the new demigod on the block, but you didn’t want to be dead weight. This was your quest after all. Leo and Percy? You’d let them have a piece of the action- as a treat. Other than that, this was you. They had had their time in the spotlight and you were sure they wouldn't complain about a lightened load. You’d take this positive feeling, turn it into confidence, and then turn that confidence into victory. Or, whatever you called a successful quest. They didn’t go over that in the  _ Camp Half-Blood  _ pamphlet.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when I have more energy to edit this i'll decide what tense this chapter was supposed to be in because oh boy did it go from past to present to past. aka you can tell there were breaks when I was putting this thing together- ha!
> 
> but, yup! you're up in the sky now, starting your quest that apparently everyone at camp except you knew about. 
> 
> as always feedback and kudos are greatly appreciated and HUGE motivators. The next chapter is in the works as we speak! So, till next time guys!
> 
> -disc :D


	18. Tic Tac UNO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo tries to play a game with you while you travel. You're too focused on sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a late merry christmas, blessed yule, etc. to those who celebrate! I tried to finish this chapter up by the 25th but it seems I feel late by a few days. Well- it's here now, so.   
> wooooooo
> 
> I had fun writing this chapter at my own pace. We're starting to set up some quest/backstory things.   
> Also just found out how long the great gatsby is (a book that i have an Interesting relationship with) and then I looked at how long this fic is and-  
> just look up how long the book is. I can't stop thinking about this almost being as long as a Great American Classic. That's just so funny to me. Or, maybe that's the case because this is my first published fanfiction. I'm looking at you, 100k slow burns enemies to lovers.

Time worked differently on Festus.

Not in the literal sense, obviously. At least you were pretty sure Leo hadn’t installed some time force-field around you all. Festus was cool but not  _ that _ cool. You also couldn’t see the practicality of having a time force-field, sphere thing. Because, right now, time sucked.

You all took off into the sky around noon. You blinked twice and the sun had completely fallen. Then, in the middle of your  _ When did it become this late  _ moment of panic you looked behind you and Percy had fallen asleep. 

What? Since when?

You were used to keeping track of time without a clock. You had done it all the time when you bounced from place to place, to place. But, that skill had started to fail you as Festsu flew in the sky. Maybe it was because you couldn’t track when people seemed to be going on their lunch breaks or you couldn’t hear the chatter of people ebb and flow with the passing hours. Or, maybe, it was because traffic seemed constant this far up. There was never a pause or a hesitation in  _ anything _ . The bright lights from bellow all radiated the same yellow hue. You couldn’t even hear the beeps from cars or the almost nauseating noise of news from electronics stores airing television. It was like a bubble up here, completely separated from everything else. And, the bubble had its biggest effect on time, completely throwing out the concept of it and replacing it with "the sun _in_ the sky" and "sun  _ not _ in the sky." Right now it was sun not in the sky.

The turbulence hadn’t been that bad, either. There were a few bumps in the air. Sometimes it would just get really windy, making it impossible for any of you to hold a conversation without sounding like grandparents. You and your brother had been apprehensive about getting some shut-eye  _ because _ of the whole being in the sky thing. And, lo and behold, Percy was (somehow. The position he was in looked pretty uncomfortable and made your brother look like a pretzel) sleeping, for gods sake. You thanked Zeus or whatever god was behind the somewhat-calm ride so far. You were tempted to hit the hay/Festus. Too bad you understood how dreams worked for demigods now. The past few hadn't been that great and you weren't eager to try your luck. Dealing with something like that was the exact opposite energy you were trying to go for right now. What you wanted was something along the lines of “hero saves the world without batting an eye” not “distressed teen faces mortality”, or whatever. A yawn escaped you, despite your best efforts. 

“Getting sleepy back there, Algae Head?” Leo asked, leaning backward dramatically. He had his two hands on Festus’ control panel and an upside-down, goofy smile plastered on his face. If anyone but Leo had done this you would’ve wondered what they were on. Seriously- the  _ driver _ leaning away from controls, not even looking where he was going? Yes, Festus was his own creation, yadda yadda yadda. But- still, it was something so confident and wild that Leo was the only person who you thought could and should do it.

“And you’re not?” You replied, taking this as an opportunity to move. You had trouble sitting still, but being on a flying dragon served as an apt motivator to not switch sitting positions every five minutes. Something like every hour was what you decided on instead.

“Captain Leo doesn’t get tired on the job.” His smile only grew wider as he gave himself that title, seemingly proud of the work he’d done.

“Then why are Captain Leo’s eyes closing?” In the few seconds that he had leaned backward like someone without a spine, his eyes had become less focused. Sure, he was still very much awake and he still had the widest smile you’d ever seen, but it looked like he was close to calling it a night. You’d apparently called him out on something because he looked like a deer caught in headlights for a few seconds.

“Because the blood is rushing to Captain Leo’s head!” He hastily replied. Brushing past how true that statement could have been, he acted like  _ you _ were the one who brought this to his attention. Nothing else made him consider the fact that blood could have been rushing to his head. Nope. Leo sat back up. He looked like a jack in the box as he rose. You couldn’t see his face, so you couldn’t figure out if the blood really  _ was _ rushing to his head. 

He fiddled with a few controls. Small clicks and the sound of plastic being pushed were audible. “And...auto-pilots on.” He said, giving Festus an affectionate tap. “Not that I didn’t think you had things handled before, buddy.” Festus lets out a chorus of whirls. Whatever the metal dragon said made Leo laugh, but you didn’t have the slightest idea what it could’ve been. Swiftly, he spun himself around, now facing you. He sat cross legged, his head goofily tilted to the side and his fingers drumming against Festus’ hide. 

Not really buying the  _ blood is rushing to my head _ thing you forged ahead regardless and asked, “You doing better?” 

“Mhm. Leaning backward was much cooler in my head. I forgot about,” he said this next part sheepishly, “gravity.”

“Just a small thing to forget.” He nodded in agreement, a fake seriousness plastered across his face. “Really, though. Leo- Festus has things covered. We’ve been traveling for a while. Get some shut-eye.” 

“And miss the view?” You, almost unwillingly, leaned over the side of the bronze, metal dragon and looked around. You could see the ground and the buildings- light from open windows or street lights included. But, you were far away. Like-  _ really _ far away. 

“What would you even look at..?” You held the railings on Festus tightly. “What view? It all looks the same.”

“Oh, you know,” Leo glanced at the direction Festus was flying in and the control panel quickly before scooting over to join you at the railing, “the ground. It’s fun to squint at things you can’t see.” You weren’t buying it. You looked at Leo with an expression that screamed  _ Really? _ He must have picked up on it, too; because, as soon as he noticed you looking at him, he almost childishly stuck his hand out into the wind and pointed at something.

“Like, okay, okay, you see that over there?” You followed his gaze down to a small patch of land that had long since passed.

“For a split second, yeah. It was just some grass right?” Leo furrowed his brows, considering your question carefully.

“Well, yes  _ and _ no. Yeah, it was grass, probably. But it’s something else, something way cooler than a patch of grass- it’s an  _ interesting _ patch of grass.”

Okay, now you were officially lost. 

“Yeah, it’s night-night time for you.” You started to move over to the luggage on the other side of Festus in search of a blanket. 

“No, no it’s not!” Leo whined, following you. It was a wonder how Percy was still sleeping. It wasn’t like either of you were making an effort to be quiet at all.

“Yes, yes it is. You called grass interesting and even the way you tried to,” you fumbled with your words, “describe it? Sell it? Gods-whatever that was, it wasn’t it so that means you have to sleep.”

“Y/n let me explain please.” You opened the bag and started moving various things around. “A guy has to keep himself entertained while operating heavy machinery.”

“A guy shouldn’t operate heavy machinery while he’s sleepy.”  _ Boom-  _ you found the blanket. “C’mere McShizzle. You know I’d throw this at you but it’s windy.” For a second it looked like Leo was about to give in and get the blanket- like he even wanted the blanket. But, just as quickly as that expression came over him it faded away just as quickly as the grass.

“Nope, rephrasing what I said isn’t going to work.” A mischievous grin tugged at his lips. “Come on,” he egged on, “we can play one of those dumb games or something. You ever play UNO with Tic Tacs?” He opened up his toolbelt, the glow from it lighting up the area around the two of you. Leo raised his eyebrows like  _ Look, look at this. See? _ As he plunged both of his hands into the magical belt. And, out from the toolbelt came some Tic Tacs- two containers of different flavored candies in each of his hand. Nothing looked special about them. For UNO you needed numbers, right? You couldn’t see any of those on the Tic Tacs. It was just four different colored mints. Leo started to place them on Festus with some difficulty. The wind was moving the Tic Tacs around, spinning them as small gusts blew them in circles, causing them to spin where they were. The nature of Festus didn’t help, either. When he flew the metal plating that made up his hide shifted. The first Tic Tac that Leo placed fell off in between a small crack in Festus. Leo muttered that that was _probably_ fine and would “pass right through”, whatever that meant. Regardless, it took a handful of minutes before Leo’s game of UNO had been set up, and it was only working because the two of you were corralling the Tic Tacs into place constantly. 

“There. That worked perfectly and we didn’t lose half the Tic Tacs in the process. Perfect!” Almost as if it had been waiting for someone to say that, an orange Tic Tac felt bold and tried to escape. You moved your hand up for a split second, catching the edge of it with your palm. It tumbled back into the “deck” and you let out a sigh.

“Gods, okay. Um, how is this UNO and are you sure we can actually...play..it.” You glanced at the pile of Tic Tacs moving around. Another gust of wind. This time, a green Tic Tac was the culprit. It tried for the small gap in between yours and Leo’s hands. Without thinking, you quickly closed that gap, overlapping your hands on one another. The Tic Tac hit your fingers and fell back to the metal with a small  _ clank _ . 

Silence.

“It was gonna fly away.” You explain plainly. Once again you were reminded how rough Leo’s hands were. You tried your best to ignore how aware you were of his skin touching yours. There were more important things to think about- like Tic Tacs and getting him to go to sleep.

“Yeah-I-yeah, it was. Nice save.” You look at the Tic Tacs before glancing up at Leo. You didn’t know what had happened- maybe it was all the Tic Tacs flying away (or trying to)? It also could have been him slowly grappling with the fact that this game of UNO was unplayable. What were you guys going to to- shuffle Tic Tacs with your noses? Your hands were otherwise occupied. If either of you moved them, the Tic Tacs would fly away.

_ Turbulence _ . 

Your Tic Tac deliberation was interrupted. Festus hit a snag of win, his wings quickly moving and tilting in an attempt to stabilize himself. The Tic Tacs were pushed into the air as Festus dropped- not enough to make your stomach churn, but enough for it to be noticeable. Of course your first thought was  _ The Tic Tac UNO mints _ before  _ Maybe I should hold onto something. _ Festus was shaking about for a solid beat before you moved, quickly turning to your side and gripping the railing tightly. You turned around and glanced at Percy. He was fine- still sleeping. Although, his face didn’t look all that happy. Your brother didn’t look like he was going to fall off, but you didn’t want to chance it. You kept your eye on him, waiting till a bulk of the turbulence had passed before scooting towards Percy like a child during a free skate who didn’t know how to skate. He seemed safe- you even felt like he  _ was _ going to be safe. He wasn’t moving all that much. And, when he did, it was in line with Festus. Besides- metal was strong, probably strong enough to catch him should anything happen. The railings would have prevented anything from happening. But, still, you scooted towards him. It made you feel better.

Leo, on the other hand, had sprung towards the control panel like a cat out of the water as soon as the turbulence started to hit. You couldn’t see what he was doing, but you could hear it. There was the sound of a man hitting buttons panickedly. There was also the sound of that same man cursing profusely. The noises didn’t stop until the turbulence was gone completely. 

“We’re good now. Everything is under con-trol.” Leo announced in a sing-songy way. You glanced at Percy one last time. He was, in fact, still sound asleep. For some reason, your brother read as a light sleeper when you first met him. Guess not, or at least not right now.

Speaking of sleep- Tic Tacs had made you almost forget someone (besides you) was in need of some.

“Just some turbulence. Nothing bad or godly which means nobody was trying to kill us! Hip hip hooray, right?” Cautiously you scooted back other to where you were before, by the Tic Tacs that had long since fallen off or into Festus. The blanket was clutched in your hand.    


“That’s good.” You agree because it was just that-  _ good _ . “But now that that’s all taken care of…” You held the blanket up. The flannel flapped in the wind. You had to tighten your grip around it to make sure it didn’t blow away.

“I already told you it isn’t going to happen. Besides, I’m not even tired.  _ You _ , on the other hand, need to go to bed. Captain Leo can tuck you in and tell you a bedtime story if you want, too.

“Tempting. But, everyone needs to sleep. Please.” You pleaded. If Leo had turned the question onto you earlier, you might have been more inclined to give up and give in to the sleep. The wind and it’s unruly nature had kicked the sleep right out of you, though. You searched your brain, trying to think of something more convincing than asking nicely. Really- anything else would have worked. But, for a few terrifying seconds where Leo kept working the control panel and you thought, there was silence. All you could think about were the reasons why Leo really should’ve stayed awake and why you should have been the one who tried to go to sleep.

Finally, you got it.

“Uh- my quest, my bedtime- or something.” Leo didn’t respond. You waited. Still nothing. 

It was time for action. “I’m putting the blanket around your shoulders in five.” 

Nothing.

“Four.”

You thought he would’ve said something by now. There was still no response. You looked at the blanket hesitantly for a moment. This was fine, right? Sure it was a little...pushy. It had to have been one of those “risks outweigh the rewards” type things, though. Time might’ve been spotty, but you knew enough of it had passed to warrant sleep.

“Three.” 

You nodded and started moving closer to where Leo sat. It wasn’t the most stealthy operation, but your moving seemed to get his attention more than your ominous countdown. 

“Y/n, really- I’m okay! Like, you just saw what happened with the wind and stuff right? Can’t be sleeping on the job if that just happened.” He didn’t turn around to face you or flash a goofy grin. He seemed too preoccupied with running his hands across various gauges and navigational devices. And, yes, you reasoned, he did  _ have  _ half a point. Having ⅔ of everyone on the quest if turbulence that bad hit again didn’t seem all that great. 

“So thank gods Festus is as capable as ever,” there was a whirl from the dragon, “Two.” You approached him from behind, sitting just close enough so you could put the blanket around his shoulder but not too close that it was weird. That was the last thing you wanted to do- make it weird. He probably didn’t even want you this close to begin with.

_Now_ he turned around. Surprise flashed across his face. You were a lot closer than he realized. “Ohhey,” it all came out in one breath, “Really, though, Y/n. Let me stay up and let me mess with the cool dials, pretty please?” You shook your head. 

“One. Sleep. You need it.” You leaned forwards and wrapped the blanket around him. His arms poked out from underneath it. It was kind of cute. Not that he was cute, just that the way his arms were poking out from the blanket was cute. Like a little gnome or small forest creature. Something huggable. That's what it was. That and only that- nothing else.

As you leaned back you could see Leo visibly relax- his shoulders falling just a little bit. Even his facial expression softened, going to something much less...wound up than before. Leo relished in the comfort for a moment, simply sitting there equally as content as he wasn’t. Then, he moved, taking the blanket off of himself and putting it on you instead. It was a solid blanket. You opened your mouth to speak. If he was about to tell you to go to bed  _ again _ -

“You use that blanket. I can’t go to sleep.” His voice wavered a little and was quiet- _ serious _ . “And I don’t mean I can’t go to sleep because I refuse to go to sleep- well I kind of do- but no-well.” Leo took a deep breath, patting out a small flame that had erupted on his knee. “I just  _ can’t _ go to bed, okay? Yeah, sleep would be nice until the dreams start, but I just can’t.” 

Now this worried you.

“Have you been cursed? Can you not fall asleep on a quest otherwise bad things will happen? Are you gonna get bad dreams from the curse, or are those just the weird demigod dreams that apparently everyone has?” That was where your mind jumped to first, all mythology and magic considered. Leo shifted in his spot uncomfortably. You could tell he was debating something. Getting to know him helped with reading him- sometimes. This wasn’t one of those times, though. He was clearly having a conversation with himself, which you respected. His eyes glanced at his hands, then the control panel, at you, then back at his hands as his face scrunched together. 

“I-” His voice failed him. “No? That wasn’t a question, me.” he looked up at you and shook his hands a couple of times like he was trying to get rid of some jitters. After that, almost mechanically, he pulled out some wires from his toolbelt and starts twisting them.

“No, I’m not cursed. I can technically fall asleep. I just can’t.” If he wasn’t-okay, alright. Things were starting to make a little more sense. Leo wasn’t cursed and he could fall asleep, but he didn’t think he could. You were able to make sense of that. If that was the case, you all of a sudden felt really bad about asking him to sleep earlier. The two of you had had heart to hearts before. Take that one time in the forest- you counted that as something. But, you felt like you were overstepping. You felt terrible, actually. You wanted to go back in time and slap yourself, making sure that the blanket got put away.

“Oh, okay. Okay. You don’t have to-”   


He didn’t give you a chance to finish saying how he didn’t have to keep talking about it. You were about to give up and give in to sleep right then and there. But, he barreled forward, on a roll now. His twisting of his wires only got more skilled and complicated. It looked like he was making something, although you weren’t sure exactly what it was.

“Look-" Leo sighed out, "the last time I was on Festus..it wasn't all sunshine and sparkles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o7 to whatever happened on Festus lmao haahaha whoops.
> 
> next chapter will be heavy backstory and angst as an FYI. Think of it as a mini one-shot within this story- it's looking like it's going to be a long one.  
> Again- thank you so much for all the support!! It makes me so happy that this story has been able to make others happy. Like always, kudos are greatly appreciated as well as comments. Not only are comments great motivators to keep writing, but I just love interacting with everyone. Really. Even like the Dumbest Thing makes me smile.  
> Like with the previous chapters, I don't know when I'll have the next chapter out. But we are still trucking along! Whenever that is, I'll see you then.  
> -disc
> 
> p.s: hey how are we feeling about the PjO 3 second teaser because that added 10 years to my life  
> p.s.s: if anyone read the Christmas short story, let it be known we were "Algea Head-ing/Brain-ing" before it was cool.


	19. The Summer's Breeze Isn't All That Warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo tells you what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is LOOOOOOONG- so you're either welcome or I'm sorry. It took a little longer to get everything written out for this chapter because there was a lot I wanted to cover and convey. Buuuut- here we are!  
> Thank you for the continued support while I typed this chapter out, everyone! Every time I checked my inbox and saw a notification I smiled and was Even More Motivated to get this to turn out right. 
> 
> also, I just realized this was a thing so I'm saying it now- none of these chapters are Beta-Read so please excuse any silly mistakes!

_It was a warm summer day when Calypso knocked on the doors to Bunker 9._

_Leo considered it his second home. His home within his home, if you will. His other siblings had access to the Bunker and visited him frequently. Harley had his own little corner in the space, filled to the brim with flamethrowers and spring-loaded frogs. In a way, Bunker 9 was like a small getaway for everyone in Cabin 9. But, for Leo, this was his own place. Sibling visits were infrequent and his friends had learned to only visit him when he was in the Bunker if it hadn’t been spotted outside in the past day. Machines and metal were cluttered every available corner, and he loved it. Bunker 9 reminded him that, even though the Prophecy of Pain and Suffering had ended and some kids at camp idolized him (Percy said they’d stop soon enough) he could still be the mechanic. Not that he didn't love the adoring cheers- he did. They just became overwhelming and often roped him into conversations he didn't want to have. Bunker 9 removed him from that. The simple things in life, like trying to re-create an Archimedes sphere from memory, were still attainable._

_The gods really hadn’t abandoned them after all. Woo!_

_He had the doors to Bunker 9 closed today. The bugs kept flying in and buzzing, which wasn’t all that fun. They liked to land on things and, in general, be annoying._

_At first, Leo complimented their ability to distract him and create a consistent buzzing sound in the Bunker. Game recognized game. He had hoped that would have solved the problem because that was totally how that worked. But, the buzzing didn’t stop, more bugs flew in, and before he knew it he had shut the door to Bunker 9. Buford, after everything was said and done, waddled up to him and turned on his projector. Coach Hedge appeared and roared, “GOOD WORK. NOW, PUT IN THE WORK. DROP AND GIVE ME 20.”_

_He interpreted that as “Thank you.” Speaking of, he needed to mess with that feature. Leo was 90% sure he figured out a way to modify it so Buford could speak in earnest, no longer bound to Coach Hedge’s voice recordings._

_A knock echoed throughout the Bunker’s caverns. Leo was in the middle of cleaning a screwdriver, so he wasn’t completely gone and lost in his projects. He wasn’t expecting anyone, either. He jogged over to the Bunker’s doors and opened them, his heart immediately doing a backflip when he saw it was Calypso. He smiled._

_“Hey, Cal! Sorry about the door. The bugs were… being bugs.” His face, hands- basically everything was smeared with grease or motor oil. But, he didn’t care. Once upon a time, a younger, more immature Leo Valdez would have felt self-conscious about someone as awesome as Calypso seeing him like this. That Leo might have, in fact, hastily tried to clean up before opening the door._

_What a fool he was. He had totally gotten better and was cooler and older and waaay wiser now. Mhm. Things like that didn’t worry him anymore._

_Calypso planted a quick kiss on his cheek, her smile reflecting his. “Hello, Leo. I was just coming to check up on you, visit, say hi.”_

_“Has it been a day already?” Now he was panicked. Usually, people didn’t check on him, per the non-spoken one day rule. It felt like he had only been in here for a few hours. He left right after lunch._

_His girlfriend shook her head, her caramel hair swaying slightly. It was such a pretty color. “No, it has not. I just,” she looked to the side, not meeting his eyes, “missed you.” Leo mentally pumped his fist in celebration._

_Ever since they had returned back from Ogygia, Calypso had slowly started to loosen up. Sure, he didn’t mind when they bickered or she yelled at him. It was fine. But, she had started to say stuff like “I missed you” and “I was worried about you” more openly. It was crazy. At first, he didn’t even know how to take it. Nobody had ever said those things in that way. Leo was fairly sure the first time Calypso said something to the effect of “I’m happy to see you” his hair started smoking, no joke._

_But, he couldn’t not be Leo. The opportunity was right there, ripe for the taking. “I’m sorry- you what?” He asked, his expression making it clear he knew exactly what she said. “I couldn’t hear you. Could you repeat yourself?” He was a little giddy._

_Calypso let out a small, annoyed puff of air. “You heard what I said. I know you did- you’re smiling the way you do when you’re-,” he raised his eyebrow as if to say_ _And?_ _, “Leo!”_

_“Sorry, the grease- it’s in my ear. Can’t hear as well as I used to.” Calypso scrunched her face together. In his ear? Impossible. Rolling her eyes, she pushed past him (he looked pretty dejected when she did so.)_

_“I said you’re as annoying as ever.” Her tone was light. Both parties involved knew what words had been exchanged. Leo knew what she had said- that she missed him. He was just hoping that, maybe, he could’ve heard it again. Next time maybe she’d say it louder like it wasn’t something to hide. That’d be nice._

_“So, Leo, what have you been up to?” Calypso walked around the bunker curiously with the mannerisms of someone visiting a museum. She was in no real rush, looking at his various projects with innocent wonder. Leo spun on his heels, closing the doors behind him with a loud creak. Then he ran to go catch up with Calypso. He suavely slipped his hand into hers knowing she wouldn’t care about the smudges of dirt that came with it._

_“Nothing much. Just some upgrades to Festus.” Leo replied as casually as possible. The truth was far from that. Leo had been working on upgrading Festus’ self-righting system, a speaker system, and outside thermal regulators. Self-righting system meant Festus would be a little less topsy-turvy. The days of his best friend dipping to one side or the other would, assuming he hadn’t messed anything up in a haze, would be long behind everyone. The speaker system was obvious. Leo just wanted to play music, plain and simple. He had been making CDs for the occasion for months. Leo had a disk for when he felt like partying, he had a disk for when he felt like being sad, he even had a disk for when he felt like losing his marbles. Leo had multiple Kidz Bop discs because he thought they were funny. Have you ever listened to them sing Boulevard of Broken Dreams? Leo was ripped, obviously. He knew that. But, dang did it feel like he grew another eight pack after that song was over. This was a hill he’d die on._

_As for the thermal regulators...it got cold on Festus. He called the system the “outside thermal regulating system” when it really was just a butt-warmer situation. Not that he needed it. Leo wore fingerless gloves and during the winter because he didn’t get cold. The butt-warmers were for everyone else who wasn’t as lucky to be a walking, talking heater._

_He led Calypso over to the bronze dragon who was resting peacefully in a large clearing in Bunker 9. “What upgrades?” She knew Leo would be eager to talk about what he had been working on. She loved to listen. And, sure enough, as soon as she asked Leo couldn’t help but smile._

_So, happily, he explained what he had been working on. Leo had probably gone into too much detail for Calypso to care, but she nodded along anyhow. He talked about how he made the speakers monster proof and how he had created a little, makeshift chill-space in Festus while he was working. Leo rambled about schematics and different types of metals and wires and what made up each component. He enthusiastically opened up panels and pointed to the valves inside. All the while Calypso smiled and nodded, asking the occasional question but, for the most part, letting Leo have his fun._

_“So- that’s basically it.” He concluded. Neither of them were sure how much time had passed._

_“Basically? Leo, everything there is much more than something basic. You’re a genius.” Calypso helped him screw something shut with her fingers, twisting the top of the screw into place easily. A few beats of silence passed before, like a lightbulb went off, Leo spoke._

_“Do you wanna go for a ride?” He asked, putting a hand on Festus. “Won’t be chilly.” Yeah, he was still working on something on the control panel. But, they’d be fine. It wasn’t anything vital to any systems Festus had. Plus, if Leo was being honest with himself, he liked flying around with Calypso. It was the dumbest thing. She had been trapped on the dumb island all those years. She hadn’t seen anything beyond what was on that island. Getting to be the one to show her what she’d been missing out on made Leo..happy? He wasn’t even sure that was the right word. But, it made him feel something good. Plus, an excuse to spend time with Calypso was an excuse to spend time with Calypso._

_Calypso stood up straighter with a sparkle in her eyes. “Is Festus okay to fly right now? I would love to if he is.”_

_“Should be.” Leo let go of Calypso’s hand and slipped through the space in between Festus and Calypso, bouncing towards where Festus was resting his head. He gave Festus a few affectionate taps on the head and whispered, “Hey, buddy, you good to go?” It took a few moments for the dragon to respond. It looked like he had been asleep. So, he had to wake up. The process was like clicking a mouse button on a computer and listening to the chorus of fans and electricity slowly hum to life. First, there was the low hum of Festus’ internal gearwork starting to move. Eventually, that sound grew into a comforting, quiet murmur in the background. Next was his sensors, which were basically Festus standing up and moving around. That was quickly followed by everything else. If Leo were to put his hand on his friend's hide he would have been able to sense each individual processor buzz to life. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to tell what was going on as Festus became more lively and awake. Soon enough he was standing and ready to go. Festus replied, albeit a little late in relation to when Leo asked the question, letting loose a chorus of precise, whirling drilled teeth. -.-- . … Morse code for yes._

_“Was that a yes?” Calypso asked. Leo gave her two thumbs up and a smile._

_“Sure was,” Festus crouched lower to the ground so it was easier for the two of them to get on, “after you hermosa.” Leo did a little bow, putting one hand behind his back and fanning the other out in the direction of Festus. She was used to this Leo by now. Calypso rolled her eyes and hoped aboard Festus. Leo followed, sitting in front of Calypso comfortably._

_With a small sputter, Festus crouched and then ran out of Bunker 9. Trees blew bast the Leo and Calypso and they fought to keep a grip on Festus. The dragon swiveled and darted in between trees before finally leaping into a small clearing. With a powerful flap of his wings, they were off into the air._

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

_They had been up in the air for around an hour when the first gust of wind hit. Festus took it like a champ, mostly. He sputtered in the air, his stabilizers working to keep the three of them up and on a smooth trajectory towards somewhere. Right now they were over some spot in Manhattan by Leo’s best guess. Not the most ideal place to deal with finicky winds, especially if things went bad (which Leo had to keep telling himself they wouldn’t.)_

_“Festus, how we feeling?” He asked once they weren’t being flung about like a sack of potatoes. The dragon replied through labored whirls, making the morse code a little harder to decipher. He leaned closer to the dragon slightly, mindful of Calypso’s hands that were wrapped around his waist._

_After a long line of whirls and drills, Leo finally had an idea of what his friend said. And, he was stumped. “Huh.” He let out, just barely audible over the wind._

_“What is it?” Calypso leaned slightly to her left, trying to get a better look at Festus’ face. He could hear the worry in her voice, which wasn’t the greatest thing to hear. Leo tried to think of ways to make it better. He couldn’t just say that things were fine, because that was the farthest thing from the truth. He felt like Calypso would be able to tell he was lying. Plus, not telling her what was going on felt...wrong, almost? That was the first time he’d felt weird about telling a merciful lie about something like this. Usually, he’d let whatever was going on out in a fit of frustration and anger or he’d be able to cover it up relatively quickly. Maybe that ability had been knocked out of him when the winds decided to go all cha-cha-slide on their asses._

_“Uh, yeah, um, you see Cal-” another gust of wind. This time they were knocked backward. The skies had forced Festus to fly almost on his rears. Calypso let out a string of what Leo assumed were curses in some language he couldn’t understand._

_“These- these Aurae are being pains.” She managed through a strained voice._

_“Yeah, them and whatever decided to mess with Festus’ internal processors.”_

_“His- Leo, that doesn’t sound good. That isn’t good, right?”_

_“Nope!” Festus lurched forward, the wind suddenly stopping in front of them and deciding to take up attacking from the rear. The dragon had to adjust quickly. At the very least him and Calypso were shot towards Festus’ head, the place Leo needed to be. That’s where all the fun buttons were. Plus, with what was going on with Festus right now, he needed to pull at some wires or something. He clawed his way a few inches closer to Fetus’ head._

_“Cal, can you hold onto his horns and try and get that big panel to the left?” She was good at weaving and twisting things quickly with her hands. Unscrewing a screw with your hands was basically the same thing. If either of them wanted to get out of this thing moderately okay, that was what needed to happen._

_Calypso nodded, maneuvering towards the other side of the head. “You mean the section shaped like a square, yes?”_ _  
_

_“The one and only.” Leo, on the other hand, was working to try and punch the right combinations of buttons onto Festus. His dragon was trying his best, but Leo had planned for something like this. If he just did his job right everything would be a-okay. The entire time he was working the winds were working twice as hard against them. Within three minutes Festus had been thrusted in almost every direction on the XYZ plane. He was so busy running over protocols, pulling out wires, and telling Calypso where to put things that the possibility of something intentionally doing this didn’t even cross his mind. Retrospectively all the signs were there. A normal day out gone terribly wrong. Things happening that didn’t happen to normal people. He should’ve picked up on it._

_“Seems like we can’t catch a break,” Calypso noted, handing Leo a washer that had jammed itself in between two important gears._

_“Nope! Wouldn’t be a day with Calypso and Leo if our lives weren’t endangered.” He took the washer and gears in his hands, wedging them up against Festus’ hide and working with one hand. Another gust of wind hit and so went flying the washer and gears. “Crap.”_

**_“You shouldn’t have come.”_ ** _A voice echoed through the clouds. It was like the words wormed their way into his head, a smooth, cool breeze flowing around in his mind. He could feel it slither around and do everything else but leave. It was different from the time an Eidolon had taken control of him. Leo shivered, which said a lot considering he was a human radiator. Whatever this thing was wasn’t trying to make him do things or do much of anything, really, besides be. It wanted to tell him something. That’s what he felt like it wanted to do._

_“Did you hear that?” Leo blurted out, poking his head above Festus’ so he could see Calypso. She looked mortified. “Who was that?”_

_Calypso had to blink and shake her head to snap herself back to reality. “No..I did, Leo. What do I do next?” So she heard the voice and looked shaken up about it. Whoever this was had a big firestorm coming. You just didn’t scare his girl like that._

_“Sounds stupid but look for the thick red wire. Should be-”_

_“_ **_You have made a mistake._ ** _”_

_“Red wire by the clump of black wires, bottom left.” He blurted out. Yeah, this wasn’t what he had in mind for his day at all. Leo made swift work of what he had to get done. Those buttons he had been mashing earlier started to freeze over, rendering them useless. Now he had to manually de-frost all of them. There was no way this was Khione, right? That crazy lady had been blasted so many times over it’d be insane if it was her. Besides, Khione and Calypso didn’t have any super crazy history. At least he didn’t think they did._

_His fingers moved lightning quick. Pop the button off, find the ice, press his hands lightly against the ice, but the button back on, repeat. The process was easy even considering he was being thrown this way and that._

_He popped the last button back onto its place. Defrosted and ready to go, Leo started punching in various combinations again. If this didn’t work, he’d have to go inside Festus or starting throwing fireballs in random directions. Both options weren’t ideal and wouldn’t end well. Leo was working with what he had which was, evidently, not a lot._

_Behind him, an Aurae made itself visible. Leo had seen wind spirits before, back when he was questing to save Hera. They had all been like Mellie- nice and not mean (save for Dylan- screw that guy). They looked more human and like someone he would feel somewhat comfortable sitting down and trying to hold a conversation with. This wind spirit, however, was anything but that. It looked distant. Its claws- yeah, it had claws- were gnarly and unkempt. Visible, violent swirls of wind made up its form. Leo only had a second to take in everything before it launched itself at him._

_“Moving moving moving moving-” Leo pushed himself back and thinly avoided getting his face ripped off. “Wow I get it my face is a one-of-a-kind gem but dang.” His heart was beating rapidly. There wasn’t much space to move around on a flying dragon that was getting pushed around. They were in the Aurae’s territory._

_“Leo!” Calypso yelled, “I cut the wire now wha- oh my gods.” Millions of emotions flashed across her face at once as she fully took in their situation. Acting on instinct alone she went to throw a gust of magic at the Aurae to no avail. Festus continued to jolt around. The Aurae kept leaping at the both of them, forcing them to partake in a dance atop Festus. Leap, run, try to repair. Over and over that pattern repeated itself. And, each time it did, the conditions got worse and worse. Festus was sinking closer to the ground. The wind spirits had gotten bold and decided to call on some friends, leaving the two of them to fight off their own “friend.” He had had enough._

_“_ **_You have done what should not have been done._ ** _” By now he had figured out that was the OG, creepy Aurae talking. Leo let loose a cascade of fireballs in every direction but the one Calypso was in._

 _“Can you all please_ _leave_ _, we were trying to have a nice time out on my flying dragon!”_

 _“_ **_We won’t leave until all wrongs have been corrected._ ** _”_

_Leo rolled out of the way of another attack, his limbs starting to get sore.“What are they talking about? Do you know what they’re talking about?”_

_Calypso moved out of the way of another attack, landing next to Leo. She furrowed her brows and then looked at him. He couldn’t read the emotion that was on her face. Was it inquiry? Wonder? Fear? None of those options were fantastic and he couldn’t discern between any of them._

_“Leo-”_

_“Dodge!” He interrupted, the screech of an upset Aurae cluing him into the attack. In tandem the two of them rolled backward, coming uncomfortably close to the tail of Festus._

_“Leo I..I have an idea as to what they are talking about.”_

_He shot out a wave of fire in front of them, driving the wind spirits back. “Well, whatever it is please talk fast because they aren’t going to wait.”_

_“Back on Ogygia I had a dream, or- or a vision. In that vision there was a voice telling me I should never leave the island or something bad would happen. I wasn’t sure what it meant and at the time didn’t care but, I think, maybe, this is what it meant.” It felt like the Aurea had taken all the air out of him. She- Calypso was having visions and she still went off the island and he didn't know and now they were here and-_

_“We- there’s a way around whatever this is- SHIT.” He made another wall of fire. Doing that was starting to get harder and harder, and Leo was sure it showed. He felt weaker than he did a few seconds ago, but at least the enemies were driven back for a few. He scanned her face, watching as it shifted from an emotion previously unreadable to something more like acceptance._

_“I hate Zeus…” She laughed out solemnly. Calypso, someone who Leo had come to learn was pretty dang strong-willed, seemed to be wilting like a flower._

_“Yeah, well, after this we can go yell at him together. But first, we need to get out of here before they figure out the fire isn’t that bad of a thing for em’.” Leo looked around, scanning the skies for an enemy he couldn’t see. Where was Jason when he needed him? He could wrangle all of the Aurae together and call it a day. Or, if Calypso still had her magic, maybe she could have used those._

_It was a mook point now, though._

_Calypso tightened her hands into a fist and looked up. “How? Festus cannot fly and we cannot hit them. My visions on the island were always of the past and true. What’s the say this one outlier didn’t also hold that same truth? I would love to fight our way out of this one but some things- we can’t even hit them.”_

_“We’ve done crazy things before, Cal. We’ll just do something the Fates didn’t see coming.” He held onto a panel of Festus’ hide and scanned the dragon's inner-workings. If he could figure out exactly where a few key components were, they’d have half a chance._

_“_ **_If you won’t comply we will take without question._ ** _” Where was this voice coming from and could Leo please put a piece of duck tape over it?_

_“Leo..” Calypso warned, for what he wasn’t sure. He was a little preoccupied._

_“Thinking!” He responded. With each second that passed his mental map of Festus’ mechanical guts- something he would have assumed he had memorized by now- grew. He could see each gear and track of tubes running through his friend. He followed an imaginary line down one particular gear train, looking for where the fatigue on his system was the greatest. He could feel the electricity coursing through countless wires and sense cylinders fueling motors with fluids. It was almost grounding. The melodic sensation of pistons working in tandem brought him back from the brink of being overwhelmed. The Aurae were around them, plotting probably. But, Leo closed his eyes anyways and dialed in on what he understood best: mechanics. He focused on Festus and let the metal and oil give him space to think. He needed to find the right wire to cut, the best thing to re-solder. Leo listened to Festus. Machines would tell you what you needed to know._

_And right now, he was being told that Festus was freezing over._

_Did he miss something? Leo swore he melted all the ice in Festus just a few minutes ago. His guts said that this came out of nowhere and there wasn’t something he could do to prevent it. It was just something else- one of those wild things to happens in a time of crisis. But, his brain told him there was a way he could’ve solved this. There was some idea he hadn’t thought of, some shortcoming that snowballed into what was happening right now._

_“He’s freezing,” Leo reported to Calypso. “Festus is freezing. His gears are stopping. First the wind and now this.” How had everything gone so wrong so fast?_

_A figure- Leo guessed the first Aurae to take a dive at him- appeared before the three of them. It smiled and snapped its fingers. Despite being a son of Hephaestus and being able to sense machines, it didn’t take much to figure out it had just knocked the bronze metal out. Leo’s hand got cold-really cold. He felt the belts inside Festus stop moving before pulling his hand back. Calypso watched with horror as Festus’ wings ground to a halt._

_Festus started falling. The Aurae before them kept time with the three of them as they descended rapidly. Leo started pulling chunks of metal, wires, and screws from his toolbelt, trying his best to create a makeshift helicopter blade for two. Nails were ripped away from his hands as he tried to work quickly, walking the line between thinking about working off intuition alone. They were getting closer to the ground. He had to work. He had to get something working that would brace their fall. Gods, why wasn’t this screw staying where it needed to be?_

_“_ **_Tragedy comes to those who mess with the natural order._ ** _” Leo wished everything that was getting ripped from his hands would hit the stupid Aurea in the face. He hated how useless he felt. He hated what was happening and he hated how he had dragged Calypso and Festus into all of this._

_Leo was so preoccupied with trying to build this helicopter-esq creation that he didn’t notice Calypso repositioning herself in the air._

_“Hey-” she called over the roar of the wind, “you’re going to do great things, Leo.” This snapped Leo out of his work. At the speed they were falling his creation was barely holding up. He had to keep a tight grip on everything- a grip that loosened significantly when he noticed Calypso’s expression: acceptance._

_“Whatever you’re doing, don’t,” Leo said, trying to hide the pain in his voice. He had seen enough action movies to know that saying something like that out of nowhere wasn’t good._

_“Remember how you saved me from Ogygia?”_

_“Stop-” It felt like the Aurae had taken all of the wind out of him. His chest was collapsing in on itself. It was hard to breathe._

_“Thank you for showing me the world.”_

_And then there was a blinding light._

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

Leo told Y/n everything. He told her about the plans they had. He told her about the magic that came from Calypso, like a last hurrah before his vision faded to black. There was talk at camp about what happened for weeks. A satyr saw everything from the ground. They IMed camp and brought everything and everyone back. Apparently, Calypso got her magic back and sacrificed herself. One last burst of energy before..nothing. Nobody knew what happened to her. The only thing they could find was a silver-coated bracelet. He told her about that, too.

And he wasn’t even sure why he was telling her everything. Leo knew he could have left it simply at _bad things happened last time he was on Festus._ He could have said he was worried about the safety of everyone on board or had trouble sleeping because of insomnia. There were so many _other_ things Leo could have said instead of the words coming out of his mouth. But, despite his tendency to shy away from stuff like this, here he was. Everything was bare and on the table. The night wind was only a haunting reminder of what had happened and made him feel all kinds of worse. The bracelet in his pocket seemed to burn. 

All the while he talked Y/n sat patiently and listened. She didn’t interrupt his story or give him any weird looks. A part of him wondered how he’d ever bring up the mom thing after this. She’d probably think he was waiting around for another terrible thing to happen at that point. Well, probably not, actually. Y/n was nice like that. But, that’s how the irrational side of Leo’s brain felt. That part of him thought she’d want to be as far away from his as possible after this- and that hurt. 

When he was done telling her about everything, she didn’t demand that he landed Festus. Leo wasn’t expecting something like that from her, but he wouldn’t have been surprised. He had just told her that last time he flew his friend _shut down_ and everyone aboard fell. One person went away. He’d get it. Heck, he was the one telling the story and he got it. Instead, she scooted closer to him. That was...confusing. Kinda unexpected, honestly. He stared at his lap, only just now noticing he had created a flower out of wire and scrap metal while he was talking.

“Thanks for being open and stuff.” She said. Leo fished for a response but nothing bit. He was still reeling from the fact that he _was_ open- like, _really open_. He had known Piper for how long and never told him about Tia Callida? And, now, here he was, just- who even was he anymore? Why did he just willingly open this wound?

“We’re gonna be okay, though.” Y/n was as quiet as she could be, her voice just barely carrying over the night wind. It was soft and drew Leo (even if only a little) out of his own head. “You know that, right?” 

He wanted to believe that, but he was more inclined to be paranoid about gusts of wind than anything else. “I _know_ that we’re probably going to be okay for a little bit. I know that. I just... I can’t go to sleep because I have to make sure nothing goes wrong.” Jeez, that was _raw_. Y/n looked around, her eyes landing on the panel on buttons on Festus.

“What if two people knew what to do?” She offered. Leo looked up from the wire flower curiously. “Four hands are better than two, right? Math, and all that.”

“That’s how numbers work.” Leo chimed in. His voice was shockingly tired sounding. But, there was still a hint of mischief in it- something he couldn’t seem to ever get rid of. Y/n looked jokingly offended for a few, but happy with his response.

“Thanks for the confirmation.”

“No problem.”

She pointed towards the buttons on Festus. There were more there than the last time he had been in the sky. Their plastic caps were firmly attached to the base of the panel. The soldering had been completely re-done. He even added a new defrosting system there specifically. Which, from where he was sitting, he could tell was working. The setup was different but they still held the same purpose in emergency situations. Y/n must have picked up on that, too. It was easy to follow her train of thought. Leo didn’t half-mind it.

“What if you told me what to do _if_ anything happened, which it won’t. Just something to make you feel better. Maybe, you could take a 20-minute nap even. Or just lay down for 20 minutes, too, I guess.” 

“It’s kinda confusing,” Leo admitted.

“That’s okay.”

“..Are you sure?”

“Mhm.” Y/n moved a little closer to the main control panel. “Show me what to do McShizzle.”

So, that was what Leo did. The two of them approached the bundle of buttons and Leo started simple. He went over what each button did first, meticulously explaining certain scenarios or reasons why someone would wanna press that particular button. Then they moved onto combinations. With each pass, Leo would ask Y/n to repeat everything diligently. Then, they’d move onto the next thing. The cycle repeated itself for 30 minutes. Eventually, Y/n knew what to hit if things started going south- terribly, terribly south. It was dumb, stupid, even, but that made him feel better. Leo still felt awake and alert, but he felt calmer. 

“Alright,” Y/n sighed out, glancing at the night sky before looking back at Leo, “do you think you’d be able to lay down now? It’s okay if the answer is no, but..you need sleep.” There was no way he could deny that- fear of falling out of the sky or not. 

He could entertain the idea, right? With a small sigh, he laid on his side, back facing the middle of Festus (he learned from experience this was the best way to go about sleeping on him.) He stared at the stars and at the clouds, his mind in 50 different places at once. There was a shuffling noise behind him. He guessed it was Y/n doing _something_. Maybe she had gotten hungry and was looking for snacks. 

From the blanket that was draped over him, he was kinda right. Leo moved slightly, lifting his head up and looking over his shoulder. It turned out Y/n was doing something- that something being looking for a blanket for him. He smiled softly at that thought. 

She had just carefully put the blanket over him. Leo wanted to wrap it more tightly around him. So, he did a little wiggle, adjusting the fabric as he moved. “Thanks.” He said, finally getting the last pesky piece of fleece to sit how he wanted it to. Not that he needed the blanket to be precise for it to keep him warm- he wasn’t even all that cold to begin with. One of the perks of being a human furnace, he guessed.

Y/n nodded and smiled. “No problem.” At least he could think about how fluffy the blanket was against his skin instead of laying idly. It was like a piece of cotton candy was wrapped around him…

“Goodnight, Leo.” She said gently. 

Determined to at least put in the effort, Leo closed his eyes. “G’night, Algae Head.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> F for Calypso.
> 
> But- oooo, wonder what that was all about? Something was certainly up. All I'm going to say is this isn't the last we'll be seeing of events related to what just happened (although I'd be interested in hearing predictions if anyone has any for some reason ahbdg.)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Like always- comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. Not only do they let me know you guys are enjoying the story, but interacting with y'all and talking about what's happening in the story is seriously my favorite thing about posting this story. 
> 
> Next chapter we'll be continuing on with the quest. Here's to our three heroes!!  
> See you all next update, whenever that may be :D  
> -disc


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